In Arthur Ransome on the Broads Roger Wardale tells the inside story of the two classic children's novels, Coot Club and The Big Six, that stemmed from the eight holidays that Ransome and his wife spent cruising in hired craft on the Norfolk Broads in the 1930s. Drawing freely upon Ransome's sailing log, his diaries and those of his wife, an intimate portrait emerges of the iconic children's author on holiday, as well as a unique picture of the Norfolk Broads at a crucial point in their transition from the wilderness that he loved to a watery playground. Using Ransome's working notes and...