Swallows and Amazons (2016 film) of 6.7/10. On Metacritic, the film received a score of 65 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Writing in British daily newspaper "The Daily Telegraph", Lewis Jones noted that Arthur Ransome had written in his diary: "Saw the ghastly mess they have made of poor old "Swallows and Amazons"" after watching the BBC's 1962 series. Jones added, "I think he might have liked Philippa Lowthorpe's forthcoming film, though, which is true to the spirit of his book, and so attentive to period detail that at one point Mrs Walker smokes a cigarette". Jones outlined the
Swallows and Amazons Altounyan connections, changing the initial dedication of "Swallows and Amazons" and writing a new foreword which gave other sources. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 57 on the BBC's survey The Big Read. The artist chosen for the first edition of the book was Steven Spurrier, but Ransome objected to his style and so the first edition did not have any illustrations. Spurrier's drawing for the dust jacket had to be used. The second edition contained drawings by Clifford Webb but after Ransome successfully illustrated "Peter Duck" himself, he decided to do his own drawings for all the