The Picts and the Martyrs The Picts and the Martyrs The Picts and the Martyrs is the eleventh book in Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. It was published in 1943. This is the last completed book set in the Lake District and features the Blackett sisters, the Amazons and the Callum siblings, Dick and Dorothea, known as the Ds. Ransome's most "native" character, the Great Aunt also features prominently as do many aspects of Lakeland life. The Dog's Home is based on a small stone hut built in the woods above Coniston Water close to Ransome's then residence. • The D's
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