Yorkshire well-known author was children's writer Arthur Ransome, who penned the "Swallows and Amazons" series. James Herriot, the best selling author of over 60 million copies of books about his experiences of some 50 years as a veterinarian in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, the town which he refers to as Darrowby in his books (although born in Sunderland), has been admired for his easy reading style and interesting characters. Poets include Ted Hughes, W. H. Auden, William Empson, Simon Armitage and Andrew Marvell. Three well known sculptors emerged in the 20th century; contemporaries Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, and Leeds-raised eco artist
Swallows and Amazons series of being as tough as Nancy, but often needs the encouragement of her sister to get through the more dangerous parts of their adventures. She is frightened of thunderstorms. A third major set of characters are brother and sister Dick and Dorothea Callum, introduced in the fourth book of the series, "Winter Holiday". Dick and Dorothea are the intellectuals of the group, Dick in matters of science, Dorothea in the arts. The Callums later acquire a dinghy of their own, the "Scarab". The Callums were originally seen as useless to the group, until it was realized that they had great