Reading Order
Swallows And Amazonsseries.seoTitleShort
Start with Swallows and Amazons and continue through all 12 books in the listed reading order.
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Start with Swallows and Amazons
Book 1 by Arthur Ransome • Published 1930
During a summer at an English lake, the Walker children sail the dinghy Swallow, befriend local sisters Nancy and Peggy with their boat Amazon, and turn camping on Wild Cat Island into a full-scale pirate campaign aga...
Complete List
Swallows And Amazons reading order
Ends with Great Northern? A Scottish Adventure of Swallows & Amazons
- 1

Book 1:Swallows and Amazons
Arthur Ransome • 1930 • 1 recommendation
During a summer at an English lake, the Walker children sail the dinghy Swallow, befriend local sisters Nancy and Peggy with their boat Amazon, and turn camping on Wild Cat Island into a full-scale pirate campaign aga...
- 2

Book 2:Swallowdale
Arthur Ransome • 1931
Back at the lake for a second summer, the Swallows and Amazons lose their beloved dinghy in an accident and are forced to explore ashore, discovering a hidden valley they name Swallowdale while outwitting the fearsome...
- 3

Book 3:Peter Duck
Arthur Ransome • 1932
On board Captain Flint's schooner Wild Cat, the Swallows and Amazons join old sailor Peter Duck on a treasure hunt to distant Crab Island, racing a villainous rival crew through storms, sharks and earthquakes in a ful...
- 4

Book 4:Winter Holiday
Arthur Ransome • 1933
Stranded at the lake over a frozen winter, the Swallows and Amazons befriend new arrivals Dick and Dorothea and turn the ice into an Arctic expedition, building igloos, sledges and signal posts until a blizzard and a...
- 5

Book 5:Coot Club
Arthur Ransome • 1934
On the Norfolk Broads at Easter, Dick and Dorothea learn to sail with Tom Dudgeon and his Coot Club friends, who patrol the rivers to protect nesting water birds and find themselves pursued by a noisy party of holiday...
- 6

Book 6:Pigeon Post
Arthur Ransome • 1936
During a hot, dry summer in the Lake District, the Swallows, Amazons and Ds camp high on the fells to search for a lost mineral vein, relying on homing pigeons for messages while dealing with water shortages, rival pr...
- 7

Book 7:We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea
Arthur Ransome • 1937
While staying on the River Orwell, the four Swallows help moor the cutter Goblin and are invited for a short sail, but fog, a dragging anchor and rising wind carry them unexpectedly into the North Sea, where their sea...
- 8

Book 8:Secret Water
Arthur Ransome • 1939
Marooned with a dinghy in the maze of tidal creeks known as Secret Water, the Swallows and Amazons turn their stay into a surveying expedition, mapping islands, keeping a log and negotiating truces and rivalries with...
- 9

Book 9:The Big Six
Arthur Ransome • 1940
Back on the Norfolk Broads, Dick and Dorothea join Tom and the Death and Glories to investigate a string of boats mysteriously cast adrift, forming the 'Big Six' detective club and using notebooks, cameras and quiet o...
- 10

Book 10:Missee Lee
Arthur Ransome • 1941
On a round the world voyage in the Wild Cat, the Swallows, Amazons and Captain Flint are shipwrecked off the South China coast and captured by the Three Island pirates, where the scholarly Missee Lee, their unexpected...
- 11

Book 11:The Picts & the Martyrs or Not Welcome at All
Arthur Ransome • 1943
When the Amazons' formidable Great Aunt descends on Beckfoot, Dick and Dorothea hide in a stone hut in the woods as secret 'Picts' while Nancy and Peggy endure being turned into respectable 'Martyrs', all four jugglin...
- 12

Book 12:Great Northern? A Scottish Adventure of Swallows & Amazons
Arthur Ransome • 1947
On a cruise in the Outer Hebrides with Captain Flint, the Swallows, Amazons and Ds discover what may be the nest of a very rare diver, then clash with an unscrupulous egg collector as they race to protect the birds wi...
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Swallows And Amazons FAQ
What is the best order to read the Swallows And Amazons series?
The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with Swallows and Amazons.
How many books are in the Swallows And Amazons series?
There are 12 books currently listed in the Swallows And Amazons series on GurusReads.
Where should I start with the Swallows And Amazons series?
New readers should start with Swallows and Amazons, the first book in the reading order.
Is the Swallows And Amazons series complete?
Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 1930 to 1947.