Arthur Ransome Books in Order
45 books are credited to Arthur Ransome, published between 1904 and 2021; 15 of them appeared after Arthur Ransome's death in 1967. The first book is The Souls of the Streets and Other Little Papers (1904) and the newest is The Elixir of Life (2021). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 45
- Published
- 1904–2021
- Pages on record
- 6,885 in 27 of 45 books
- Reading time
- 115–172 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 6,885 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 27 of 45 titles with a page count on record.
Arthur Ransome (1884-1967) was an English author, journalist and intelligence agent. Swallows and Amazons is the work he is known for, a children's series about school-holiday adventures set mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads, and it remains in print; Windermere and Coniston Water, the two lakes Ransome reshaped into one fictional North Country lake, carry a tourist trade because of it. He also wrote on literary London and on Russia before, during and after the 1917 revolutions. The catalogue holds 45 titles, opening with The Souls of the Streets (1904).
How many Arthur Ransome books are there?
Arthur Ransome has 45 books, released between 1904 and 2021. 15 of them were published after Arthur Ransome's death in 1967. 13 of them belong to the Swallows and Amazons series.
Arthur Ransome Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 45 Arthur Ransome books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1The Souls of the Streets and Other Little Papers1904 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/41904641/4
- 2The Child's Book of the Seasons1906 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/41906401/4
- 3The Things in our Garden1906 · confirmed 1/41906–1/4
- 4Pond and Stream1906 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/41906401/4
- 5Bohemia In London1907 · 284 pages · confirmed 1/419072841/4
- 6The Book of Friendship1909 · confirmed 1/41909–1/4
- 7The Hoofmarks of the Faun1911 · confirmed 1/41911–1/4
- 8The Book of Love1911 · confirmed 1/41911–1/4
- 9Oscar Wilde - A Critical Study1912 · 240 pages · confirmed 1/419122401/4
- 10Portraits and Speculations1913 · confirmed 1/41913–1/4
- 11Open Letter to America1918 · confirmed 1/41918–1/4
- 12Six Weeks in Russia in 19191919 · confirmed 1/41919–1/4
- 13The Crisis In Russia1920 · 156 pages · confirmed 1/419201561/4
- 14The Soldier and Death1922 · confirmed 1/41922–1/4
- 15Racundra's First Cruise1923 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/419232561/4
- 16The Chinese Puzzle1927 · confirmed 1/41927–1/4
- 1719303511/4
- 1819314481/4
- 1919324141/4
- 2019333501/4
- 2119343501/4
- 2219363821/4
- 2319373441/4
- 2419393761/4
- 2519403671/4
- 2619413491/4
- 271943–1/4
- 28Favorite Russian Fairy Tales1946 · 87 pages · confirmed 1/41946871/4
- 29Great Northern? A Scottish Adventure of Swallows & AmazonsSwallows and Amazons #121947 · 352 pages · confirmed 1/419473521/4
- 30Mainly about Fishing1959 · confirmed 1/41959–1/4
- 31The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship1968 · 48 pages · confirmed 1/41968481/4
- 32Edgar Allan Poe1972 · 236 pages · confirmed 1/419722361/4
- 33A History of Story-Telling1973 · 318 pages · confirmed 1/419733181/4
- 34The Autobiography of Arthur Ransome1976 · 368 pages · confirmed 1/419763681/4
- 35Rod And Line1980 · confirmed 1/41980–1/4
- 36The War of the Birds and the Beasts and Other Russian Tales1984 · 112 pages · confirmed 1/419841121/4
- 37Coots In The North And Other Stories1988 · 144 pages · confirmed 1/419881441/4
- 38Signalling From Mars: The Letters of Arthur Ransome1997 · 377 pages · confirmed 1/419973771/4
- 39Racundra's Third Cruise2002 · confirmed 1/42002–1/4
- 40The Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales2004 · confirmed 1/42004–1/4
- 41Little Daughter of the Snow2005 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/42005321/4
- 42Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp, in Rhyme2008 · confirmed 1/42008–1/4
- 432008–1/4
- 44Arthur Ransome's Long-Lost Study of Robert Louis Stevenson2011 · confirmed 1/42011–1/4
- 45The Elixir of Life2021 · confirmed 1/42021–1/4
Arthur Ransome series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Swallows and Amazons books in order 13 books
Arthur Ransome books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Standalone books
32 books32 Arthur Ransome titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Arthur Ransome books in order?
You only need to read Arthur Ransome books in order within the Swallows and Amazons series, which holds 13 of the 45 Arthur Ransome books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.
Where to start with Arthur Ransome
Start with Swallows and Amazons (1930), the first Swallows and Amazons book. The earliest catalogued title overall is The Souls of the Streets and Other Little Papers (1904).
What is the newest Arthur Ransome book?
The Elixir of Life (2021) is the newest Arthur Ransome book released so far.
Is there a new Arthur Ransome book coming?
No next Arthur Ransome book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Arthur Ransome has won
Wikidata records 1 award for Arthur Ransome. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Carnegie Medal1936Wonfor Pigeon Post
Arthur Ransome at a glance
- Died
- Arthur Ransome died in 1967, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Arthur Ransome are still being published after Arthur Ransome's death in 1967; the newest appeared in 2021.
- Release pace
- Arthur Ransome books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
- Length
- 6,885 pages across the 27 of 45 books with a recorded length, a median of 318 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Arthur Ransome books, 8 of 45, were published in the 1930s.
What the Arthur Ransome books are about
26 of the 45 Arthur Ransome books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's fiction is tagged on 12 of 26. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Children's fiction 12 of 26 books
- Adventure stories 7 of 26 books
- Sailing 7 of 26 books
- Boats and boating 4 of 26 books
- Swallows (Fictitious characters) 4 of 26 books
- Amazons (Fictitious characters : Ransome) 3 of 26 books
- Authors 3 of 26 books
- Travel 3 of 26 books
- Criticism and interpretation 2 of 26 books