17 September 1926: Arthur Ransome hopes that one day the river will cease to be a sewer and trout and salmon will return to Manchester
May 2021
Guardian 200
Marxists, feminists – and Olympians: the most dazzling Guardian writers over 200 years
The Guardian has attracted all manner of big characters and social pioneers, from suffragettes to literary giants
March 2019
Swallows and Armenians: Arthur Ransome’s forgotten inspirations revealed
A new art project is exploring how the characters in the English children’s classic were modelled on a family from Aleppo
October 2017
Country diary
Country diary: rewilding a river I fished with Arthur Ransome
Ribblesdale, North Yorkshire Wild trout are once again thriving in the beck my grandfather tended for the Manchester Anglers’ Association
July 2017
Books blog
Well done Unesco for honouring the culture of the Lake District
Wordsworth’s daffodils, Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons – Lakeland has been fertile ground for countless writers
April 2017
Emma Donoghue: seven kids and four parents – bigger is better in children’s books
In classics from Eve Garnett to Arthur Ransome, there are always enough kids to form a world without adults – and a hardcore tomboy can have a place in the gang
August 2016
Books blog
Why it wasn’t all plain sailing for Swallows and Amazons’ author
From the Guardian archive
Swallows and Amazons book review, 1930 - archive
July 2016
Real Swallows and Amazons children were refugees fleeing Syria
First look review
Swallows and Amazons review – sails on merrily, despite spy ballast
Hopes rise for big friendly tourist boost to screen locations of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic
TV review
Boy Meets Girl review – yes, it’s groundbreaking, but it’s also a jarringly traditional sitcom
June 2016
Children's books
Eighty years of children's books: the best Carnegie medal winners
Brief letters
Accrued interest in academics’ pensions
May 2016
Brief letters
Could Brexit be hazardous to health?
Brief letters: EHIC | Tate Modern atrium | Ladybird books | Windows 10 | Nottinghamshire cricket mutinies | Arthur Ransome’s character names
January 2016
Children's books
The best books about snow and ice for children
As Snowzilla hits the US, the Book Doctor picks out children’s and teen books that celebrate the magical power of ice and snow to transform landscape and lives, from Arthur Ransome’s Winter Holiday to Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising
November 2015
When Arthur Ransome rocked the boat over Russia
Letters: He attracted the attention of the establishment by his opposition to allied intervention in the Russian civil war
July 2015
From the Guardian archive
From the archive, 13 July 1929: Arthur Ransome on writing Saturday articles
Manchester Guardian, 13 July 1929: Like the music-hall performer who takes the difficult first turn, the writer of Saturday articles must fight for the attention of the audience
June 2015
Swallows and Amazons actor defends name as remake swaps Titty for Tatty
I loved playing Titty in Swallows and Amazons. It’s what fans still call me
