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CONTENTSSummarised ChronologyIntroductory EssayThe Spanish LadieThe Force of BloodThe Liberall Lover ... Read more

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But for Swallows and Amazons, some of Arthur Ransome's earlier writings would be better known. The extraordinary success Ransome achieved as a children's writer, from the 1930's until his death in 1967, perhaps inevitably eclipsed his earlier work, but in the case of his two books and pamphlet on the Russian revolutions of 1917 and the tumultuous events that followed that is a great loss: it can be said unequivocally that these writings are on a par, perhaps even exceeding, such classics as John Reed's "Ten Days that Shook the World". Arthur Ransome knew Russia. He lived there from 1914 to 1918 almost all the time. He taught himself Russian and became a foreign correspondent for the liberal "Daily News" and "Manchester Guardian". More than that, he came to know many of the Bolshevik leaders like Lenin, Trotsky and Checherin almost as personal friends, and, indeed, married Trotsky's secretary, Evgenia Petrovna Shelepina. Arthur Ransome as a commentator on the Russian scene at the most convulsive moment in its history is unique. Unlike famous visitors like H.G.Wells (though his marvellous book, "Russia in the Shadows" shouldn't be overlooked) and Bertrand Russell, his was no brief journalistic inspection: and unlike other reporters such as John Reed, Victor Serge and Alfred Rosmer there was no tendentiousness in what he wrote - they were convinced revolutionaries, Ransome, although not unsympathetic to the Bolshevik cause, was a more objective recorder. "Six Weeks in Russia", "The Crisis in Russia and the Pamphlet", "The Truth about Russia" constitute the best contemporary writing about Russia at the time of the Bolshevik takeover. They were reissued in the early 1990s, with an introduction by Paul Foot which has been retained for the Faber Finds reissue of "Six Weeks in Russia"; otherwise they have been out of print since first published. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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One of a series of boxed sets, each of which consists of three popular adventure stories for children, and a free poster providing information on all 24 titles in the series. This set contains "The Runaways", "Swallows and Amazons" and "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase". ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Six tales of witches, and wizardry, perilous journeys, wise animals, frightful giants and beautiful princesses, among them the legendary Fire-Bird, the dulcimer-playing Sadko, the iron-toothed witch Baba Yaga, and a goat that sneezes gold pieces. Newly reset in large, easy-to-read type, with 6 new illustrations.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Ah, the culture of it
This is a fantastic collection of stories that have been a part of the Russian culture for centuries. Anyone growing up in Russia has heard these stories, and now so can you! Kids will appreciate the characters and adventures. Parents will appreciate the values and lessons. Everyone will appreciate the timeless tales of fantasy, magic, and talking animals.

A lot of "read" for the penny!
This is a fine introduction to popular Russian fairy tales, including the story of the little snow girl (a childless couple builds a daughter out of snow) and "Frost" (cruel stepmother sends girl out to freeze inthe snow, but Frost sees her kindness and spares her-- the nastystepsisters are not so lucky).The similarity between some of the Russiantales and our own English fairy tales is interesting (why is the stepmotheralways the evil one?).This introductory collection leaves one wanting tolearn more Russian tales. ... Read more

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When the Czar proclaims that he will marry his daughter to the man who brings him a flying ship, the Fool of the World sets out to try his luck and meets some unusual companions on the way.
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Russian Folktale about determination and friendship.
"The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship" has remained to be one of the greatest Russian folktales ever told and has spawn many popular movies such as "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen."This story is written by Arthur Ransome along with illustrations by Uri Shulevitz and is an instant treat!

The story starts out with a peasant fool whose older brothers are more favored by his parents than him.One day, the Czar of Russia proclaims that whoever builds a flying ship will marry his daughter, the princess.The two older brothers start on their way as their parents give them delicious food and lavish clothes.When the fool spots all this, he begs for his parents' permission too, but his parents only scoff at him and only give him bread and water. The fool meets a strange old man along the way and they end up having beautiful feast together.Then, the old man tells the fool to follow some instructions in building a flying ship.The fool follows these instructions and has a flying ship in no time.As the fool sails in his ship, he meets a listener, a runner, a sharpshooter, a drinker, an eater, a hay-carrier, and a brushwood carrier.They head to the Czar's palace and the Czar is none too pleased about the guests, so he sets them impossible tasks to do.

This book has simplistic yet clear drawings and an imaginative style of storytelling that should be a favorite among children and paves way for other cult classics.Also, check out the Rabbit Ears' version narrated by Robin Williams.It is hilarious and creative.

Fairy Tale Treasure
So I am a sucker for fairy tales. What else do you want me to do? In true Russian fashion, a practically universal story is made larger-than-life to celebrate the underdog and spit on the upperclass. Social uprising, anyone? Political intentions aside, it's a fun, witty story for all ages, and the illustrations in those bold colors and Russian intricacy add so much!

Moral: Riches make one clever
The story of the fool and his remarkable flying ship is a classic through and through.The classic tale of how a single man is able, with the help of his clever friends, to fulfill every task the local ruler (in this case, the Czar) sets before him is both a pleasure to read and a joy to reread.In the case of the 1968 edition of this story, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz, I can't say that this is the definitive version of the tale to read to your kids.It's enjoyable, yes.It has a nice text and it flows rather well.Unfortunately, the illustrations are a bit lax and while the book is a good read, it doesn't endear itself as much as it might to the average child reader.

In this book, there was once a boy who was a fool who had two elder brothers who were intelligent.The Czar commands that whosoever brings before him a flying ship shall marry his daughter.Intrigued, the elder brothers take off to do the deed and are never heard from again.The fool also goes off and in his travels he meets a wise old man.After sharing his repast, the old man gives the lad some strict instructions that sound ridiculous but ultimately lead to a beautiful flying ship.Once the lad takes off he gathers with him every man he sees on the road, no matter how bizarre.After landing in the Czar's backyard, the peasants on the ship do not sufficiently impress the lofty ruler.He then proceeds to set a series of incredibly difficult tasks for the fool, but in the end the magic men and the boy overcome every last one.Finally, the fool marries the princess and (as a result of his riches) is now handsome, clever, and impresses everyone he meets.The end.

Completely disregarding an ending where not only do the clothes make the man but wealth as well, the book is a good one.Randsome has a nice grasp on the best ways in which to tell this tale, and the escalating silliness is impressive.I don't wish to put down the art that illustrator Uri Shulevitz worked so hard to produce for the book, but let's face facts.This is fairly bland stuff.Drawn with rather sketchy pencils and lines, the book is adequate but by no means overwhelming.The fool appears as an apple-cheeked young rapscallion but you don't really feel anything for him.Undoubtedly there are those that have loved these pictures since their youth and will be deaf to any criticisms I might offer.In such cases as those I'll merely say that should you wish to purchase this story, I recommend you sample other versions as well until you find just the right one.I doubt you'd be disappointed by a little comparison shopping.Though a fine creation and a loving book, it could do with a little pepping up in the art department.

could be even better
The story is great, if a little predictable.The young fool sets off to find a flying ship and thereby win the princess.A magical old man helps him find the ship, then the fool picks up a bunch of people on the way to the czar's palace, all of whom have these weird special talents.Once at the palace, the czar doesn't want to hand over his daughter and sets before the fool a number of tasks, which amusingly, but somewhat predictably line up with the special skills of each of the people he picked up along the way.

The illustrations leave a lot to be desired.Although they are fun, detailed and colorful, they miss many chances to illustrate the story more dramatically.This is surprising given that the illustrator claims in his bio to be a filmmaker in addition to a children's book author.His illustrations need some close-ups and more interesting angles!

Still, I would recommend this book, it is a wonderful example of a Russian folk tale.In the hands of another author and illustrator, it could be even better!

My Favorite Picture Book
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship by Arthur Ransome with illustrations by Uri Shulevitz is easily my favorite picture book. Everything is perfect about the book. First of all the pictures are marvelous. All of Shulevitz's books have good pictures, but this might be his best. The pictures jump off the page with their color and with the humor portrayed in them. The story is, of course, the best part of the book. The story is hilarious with marvelously interesting characters. It also has some good morals like "God loves simple folk." I work in a library, and adults and kids all love this book. I have also seen the book performed for children, and it proved to be excellent for reading aloud. The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship is an amazing picture book and deseves is Caldecott Medal and its classic status. ... Read more

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Arthur Ransome's delightful adventure series of children's books, "Swallows and Amazons", has captured the imagination of children and adults alike ever since they were first published in the 1930s. Even today, eighty years after the very first book was published, the series remains as popular and enduring as ever. Ransome once described writing books for children as like reliving the best part of childhood, but this was far from the whole truth. His genius as a storyteller stemmed from an almost infinite capacity for painstaking perfectionism. Once Ransome had completed the first draft, he would then settle down to write a complete revision and the most difficult chapters were written over and over again. Unhappy with the illustrations produced for the first book, Ransome persuaded the publishers to go to print with none at all, save for the cover image and by book three, he'd taken the decision to do all his own illustrations. Using primary written sources, including letters, diary entries and Ransome's own working notes, Roger Wardale expertly pieces together the fascinating story of how the twelve "Swallows & Amazons" books came to be written against the odds.Wardale observes how the stories evolved from the point of view of all those who were closely involved - Ransome's publisher, his mother, his wife, his friends and fans - as well as Ransome himself. It is an amazing story of a dedicated writer battling against the problems of ill health, a critical and argumentative wife, his own perceived shortcoming and an expectant publisher. Wardale's account provides a new fresh look at the enduring "Swallows and Amazons" series and how and why they came into being - a must-read for any Ransome fan. ... Read more

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An Excerpt from the book-

I am well aware that there is material in this book which will
be misused by fools both white and red.That is not my
fault.My object has been narrowly limited.I have tried by
means of a bald record of conversations and things seen, to
provide material for those who wish to know what is being
done and thought in Moscow at the present time, and
demand something more to go upon than secondhand
reports of wholly irrelevant atrocities committed by either
one side or the other, and often by neither one side nor the
other, but by irresponsible scoundrels who, in the natural
turmoil of the greatest convulsion in the history of our
civilization, escape temporarily here and there from any kind
of control.


The book is in no sense of the word propaganda.For
propaganda, for the defence or attack of the Communist
position, is needed a knowledge of economics, both from the
capitalist and socialist standpoints, to which I cannot
pretend. Very many times during the revolution it has
seemed to me a tragedy that no Englishman properly
equipped in this way was in Russia studying the gigantic
experiment which, as a country, we are allowing to pass
abused but not examined.I did
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An Excerpt from the book-

Outside in the forest there was deep snow. The white snow had crusted
the branches of the pine trees, and piled itself up them till they
bent under its weight. Now and then a snow-laden branch would bend too
far, and huge lumps of snow fell crashing to the ground under the
trees. Then the branch would swing up, and the snow covered it again
with a cold white burden. Sitting in the hut you could hear the
crashing again and again out in the forest, as the tired branches
flung down their loads of snow. Yes, and now and then there was the
howling of wolves far away.

Little Maroosia heard them, and thought of them out there in the dark
as they galloped over the snow. She sat closer to Vanya, her brother,
and they were both as near as they could get to the door of the
stove, where they could see the red fire burning busily, keeping the
whole hut warm. The stove filled a quarter of the hut, but that was
because it was a bed as well. There were blankets on it, and in those
blankets Vanya and Maroosia rolled up and went to sleep at night, as
warm as little baking cakes.

The hut was made of pine logs cut from the forest. You could see the
marks of the axe. Old Peter was the grandfather of Maroosia and Vanya.
He lived alone with them in the hut in the forest, because their
father and mother were both dead. Maroosia and Vanya could hardly
remember them, and they were very happy with old Peter, who was very
kind to them and did all he could to keep them warm and well fed. He
let them help him in everything, even in stuffing the windows with
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ARTHUR RANSOM, British author and journalist was a reporter in Russia during the Revolution and Civil War. His knowledge of Russian and his friendship for Trotsky's secretary (his future wife)gave him unique access to the Bolshevik leadership and the Russian people. His reports to the [London] Daily News and The Manchester Guardian covered the period from 1915 on. From January through August 1918, his dispatches were carried by the New York Times. Encouraged to address the American people and President Wilson directly, he wrote Letter to America urging America to recognize the Bolshevik government, to not intervene into Russian affairs and to provide economic and technological aid to the Russian people. His articles in the New York Times ceased shortly after the United States militaily intervened in the summer of 1918. ... Read more