Arthur Ransome books in order
English author and journalist
- Lived
- 1884–1967
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Books
- 34
- Series
- 1
Arthur Ransome published 11 novels, 1 novella, 4 short story collections, 6 non-fiction books, 8 children's books and 4 other books, beginning with Swallows and Amazons (1930). The series is Swallows and Amazons (13 books, starting with Swallows and Amazons).
Updated September 2026
Swallows and Amazons books in order (13)Series page
Reading order: 1 Swallows and Amazons (1930) · 2 Swallowdale (1931) · 3 Peter Duck (1932) · 4 Winter Holiday (1933) · 5 Coot Club (1934) · 6 Pigeon Post (1936) · 7 We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (1937) · 8 Secret Water (1939) · 9 The Big Six (1940) · 10 Missee Lee (1941) · … all 13 below
- 1.
Swallows and Amazons (1930)
- 2.
Swallowdale (1931)
- 3.
Peter Duck (1932)
- 4.
Winter Holiday (1933)
- 5.
Coot Club (1934)
- 6.
Pigeon Post (1936)
- 7.
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (1937)
- 8.
Secret Water (Nov 1939)
- 9.
The Big Six (1940)
- 10.
Missee Lee (1941)
- 11.
The Picts and the Martyrs (1943)
- 12.
Great Northern? (1947)
- 13.
Coots in the North (1988)
Where to start with Arthur Ransome
Start here
Swallows and Amazons
Arthur Ransome's most-read book and the first of the 13 Swallows and Amazons books.
Standalone novels in order
Bohemia in London (1907)
A History of Story-telling (1909)
Swallows and Amazons Series (1930)
Little Daughter of the Snow (2005)
Novellas in order
The Crisis in Russia (1921)
Short story collections in order
Old Peter's Russian Tales (1916)
The War of the Birds and the Beasts and Other Russian Tales (1984)
Favorite Russian Fairy Tales (1995)
The Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales (2004)
Non-fiction in order
Edgar Allan Poe; a Critical Study (1910)
Oscar Wilde (1912)
' Racundra's' First Cruise (1927)
Rod and Line (1929)
The Autobiography of Arthur Ransome (1976)
Racundra's Third Cruise (2002)
Children's books in order
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (1968)
Swallows and Amazons for Ever (1983)
Signalling from Mars (1997)
Other books in order
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp in Rhyme (1920)
The Soldier and Death (1920)
Child's Book of the Seasons (2014)
Film and TV adaptations
- Swallows and Amazons (2016)Film · from Swallows and Amazons
Free to read
All free classics
About Arthur Ransome
Arthur Michell Ransome was an English author, intelligence agent, and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads. The entire series remains in print, and Swallows and Amazons is the basis for a tourist industry around Windermere and Coniston Water, the two lakes Ransome adapted as his fictional North Country lake.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Arthur Ransome FAQ
- How many books has Arthur Ransome written?
- Arthur Ransome published 11 novels, 1 novella, 4 short story collections, 6 non-fiction books, 8 children's books and 4 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Arthur Ransome's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Swallows and Amazons with Swallows and Amazons. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Arthur Ransome's last book?
- The Picts and the Martyrs (1943).
- What is Arthur Ransome's most famous book?
- Swallows and Amazons (1930) is Arthur Ransome's most widely read book.
- Are Arthur Ransome's books connected?
- 13 books belong to 1 series (Swallows and Amazons); the other 21 books stand alone.
- Which Arthur Ransome books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including Swallows and Amazons (film, 2016).
- Can I read Arthur Ransome's books for free?
- Yes. 9 books by Arthur Ransome are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like Arthur Ransome
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.