'Why do they call him Black Jake? Is it because of his hair?' Titty asked.
'Because of his heart' said Peter Duck

The Swallows and Amazons, as well as Captain Flint and the ancient able seaman Peter Duck, set sail on the Wild Cat bound for the Channel. But they are shadowed by the Viper, manned by none other than Black Jake - a beastly pirate with a dark plan. Can the children race ahead and uncover the buried treasure before the pirate? Can they survive storms, earthquakes, crabs and even a waterspout and make it home?

About the Author
Arthur Ransome was born in Leeds in 1884 and went to school at Rugby. He was in Russia in 1917, and witnessed the Revolution, which he reported for the Manchester Guardian. After escaping to Scandinavia, he settled in the Lake District with his Russian wife where, in 1929, he wrote Swallows and Amazons. And so began a writing career which has produced some of the real children's treasures of all time. In 1936 he won the first ever Carnegie Medal for his book, Pigeon Post. Ransome died in 1967. He and his wife Evgenia lie buried in the churchyard of St Paul's Church, Rusland, in the southern Lake District.

Reviews
In many ways Peter Duck is the best of the series. * Guardian *
So well written that you don't realize that it is written at all. The adventures just seem to occur to oneself. * Hugh Walpole, Observer *
This is the real stuff of imagination which might so easily happen. . . all the details are true to life, the ship is a real ship, with all its sails and rigging made familiar, and the voyage which those happy children make to southern seas and coral islands is the beautiful possibility of daring and freedom become living and credible. * Listener *



Book Information
ISBN 9780224021258
Author Arthur Ransome
Format Hardback
Page Count 432
Imprint Jonathan Cape Ltd
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 494g
Dimensions(mm) 202mm * 144mm * 38mm