Children’s literature: Arthur Ransome’s timeline, part 5  

1929

• Jan: The Altounyans leave for Aleppo.
• Mar 19: Ransome gives the Manchester Guardian three months notice.
• Mar 24: Begins writing Swallows & Amazons.
• Jun 30: Ransome’s close friend, Ted Scott, the Manchester Guardian’s editor, persuaded Ransome to continue work, writing the paper’s prestigious Saturday essay.
• Jul 13: Ransome’s first Drawn at a Venture weekly essay published in the Guardian.
• Jul 22: Rod and Line published.
• Sep 13: Ransome’s last Rod and Line fishing essay published in the Guardian.
• Nov: Travels to Egypt to report on elections. Meets Malcolm Muggeridge and Somerset Maugham.

1930

• Feb: Returns from Egypt and completes the revisions for Swallows & Amazons.
• Jul 21: Swallows and Amazons published.

1931

• Nov 2: Swallowdale published.

1932

• Jan 2: Ransome’s last Drawn at a Venture weekly essay published in the Guardian.
• Jan: Arthur and Evgenia set off for Aleppo to visit the Altounyans.
• Feb 1: Arrive in Aleppo.
• Apr 13: Leave Aleppo.
• May 1: Arrive back at Low Ludderburn.
• Oct 1: WG Collingwood died.
• Oct 24: Peter Duck published.

1933

• Autumn: Ransome suffers acute appendicitis whilst cruising on the Norfolk Broads.
• Autumn: Convalesces with Evgenia in St Mawes, Cornwall.
• Nov 13: Winter Holiday published.

1934

• Spring: Spends 3 weeks cruising on the Broads with Evgenia, researching Coot Club.
• July: Acquires a new dinghy, Coch-y-bonddhu.
• Nov 26: Coot Club published.

1935

• Sold Swallow.
• Summer: Sold Low Ludderburn and moved to Broke Farm, Levington, Suffolk.
• Sep 8: Ransome purchases Electron, a 7 Ton Hillyard Cutter, in Poole. He renamed her Nancy Blackett and sailed her back to Pin Mill.

1936

• Jan: Begins work on We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea.
• Jun: Sails Nancy Blackett to Holland, testing We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea’s plot.
• Nov 13: Pigeon Post published.

1937

• Jun 1: Received the first Carnegie Medal from the Archbishop of York in Scarborough, for Pigeon Post. The medal was awarded by the Library Association (now CILIP).
• Nov 12: We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea published.

1938

• Winter: Begins to write The Big Six (shelved in favour of Secret Water).
• Spring: Commissions Selina King from the Pin Mill boatbuilder, Harry King.
• Sold Nancy Blackett.

1939

• Apr 3: Moved to Harkstead Hall
• Aug: Ivy Walker died.

(Sep 3: Britain declares war on Germany)

• Autumn: Sailed Selina King to Lowestoft, to be laid up for the duration.
• Nov 28: Secret Water published.

1940

• Jan: Resumed The Big Six.

(Continuous): Air raids increasingly disturb Ransome’s ability to sleep and thus work.

• Oct 1: Purchased The Heald, Coniston.
• Nov 29: The Big Six published.

1941

• Dec 5: Missee Lee published.

1943

• Jun 28: The Picts and the Martyrs published.

1944

Began work on Great Northern? and The River Comes First.

1945

• May: Ransome and Evgenia visit the Outer Hebrides for research.

(May 8: War in Europe ends).

• Jun 1: Leave The Heald.
• Oct 12: Arrive at 12, Weymouth St, London.
• Dec: Work begins on Ransome’s fourth yacht, Peter Duck, at Harry King’s, Pin Mill.

1946

• Oct: Ransome sells Peter Duck.
• Nov: Ransome re-purchases Peter Duck.

1947

• Second research visit to the Outer Hebrides.
• Aug 25: Great Northern? published.