Posted by David Brooks on December 06, 1997 at 01:17:50:
I thought this might be of interest to this group:
I recently retrieved the collection of AR's works assembled by my mother, who died 25 years ago. In the front of Winter Holiday I found a 1934 postcard from Arthur Ransom to my mother when she was in her early teens.
She had obviously written him a fan letter, and he responded in neat writing, indicating that he is in the midst of writing "Coot Club":
"Thank you for your letter. I am glad you like the books. As a matter of fact the D's went to Norfolk and there met some children with books, and got mixed up in some trouble, but learnt a lot of sailing, really to surprise Nancy & the others in the summer holidays. I'm just finishing the book about what happnes to them on the Norfolk rivers. Arthur Ransom"
There's a tiny drawing of a sailing boat squeezed in under the signature. A very pleasant discovery.
By the way, the Windemere, Westmoreland, postmark not only gives the date (28 June 34) but the time (7:30 p.m.). Ah, for the days of multiple mail deliveries!
David