A NEW book offers a critical overview of a famous series of stories set in the Lake District.

Julian Lovelock, a former lecturer of English literature at Buckinghamshire University, has produced an in-depth sturdy of Arthur Ransome's 12 Swallows and Amazons books.

'Swallows, Amazons and Coots' looks at Ransome's creative process and his narrative techniques are explored. Mr Lovelock also looks at Ransome's contradictory politics, including his defence of rural England, colonialism and women's place in the society.

“Arthur Ransome the man has been of interest to biographers and there are a lot of Arthur Ransome enthusiasts, but nobody has ever written a book devoted wholly to the 12-book series of Swallows and Amazons," said Mr Lovelock. "I realised there was a gap that needed to be filled.”

Mr Lovelock came across Ransome’s books as a child and after retiring from a long academic career, which also saw him acting as the Dean of Arts and Languages and the Pro Vice-Chancellor for the university, took up the series again in research.

“When I was a child, I was always having sailing adventures in the same areas which Ransome depicted in his books set in east Anglia,” Mr Lovelock said. “When I came across his books, I found out that Ransome’s children were doing the same thing.

“When I was given the opportunity to start a research project, I didn’t want to go down the classics route. Instead, I thought about Swallows and Amazons.

“Hopefully the book appeals to the general audience. Literature analysis can be really boring, and I didn’t want to write a dry academic piece.”

The book has become popular among Ransome and sailing enthusiasts, selling copies outside the UK in countries such as North America, New Zealand and Australia.

“I think especially adults need to read Ransome’s books as a product of their time, at the end of the British Empire and the Second World War,” Mr Lovelock said. “But why I think Ransome’s books are so popular is that they have a sense of freedom. Children get away from their parents, away from the authorities to have adventures.

“For a modern day child the books might appear a bit gentle but I think that sense of adventure is what draws readers to the books even to this day.”