Arthur Ransome is known today as the author of the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books, which have been translated into many languages. He was also a very popular writer about fishing with rod and line, a political journalist, and for a time a spy: from the age of 29 to 36 he led a life suitable for an adventure novel.

Ransome was born in Leeds on 18 January 1884, the eldest son (of two sons and two daughters) of a professor of history at Yorkshire College (now the University of Leeds) and his wife Edith. He was educated at Old College, Windermere, in the Lake District, where he began his love of fishing and sailing, and then, following his father's death in 1897, he was educated at Rugby School where he was miserable. Poor at sports, poor in his studies, he manifested a

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Citation: Clark, Robert. "Arthur Ransome". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 June 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3710, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3710 Arthur Ransome 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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