Posted by Robert Hill on July 30, 2010 at 15:37:50 user eclrh.
In Reply to: Three questions posted by Tim Lustig on July 30, 2010 at 05:29:55:
When was the eighth impression of Swallows and Amazons published?
In November 1935, according to the details in the front of my 29th impression.
Can we speculate in any informed way about the age of the Walker and Blackett children in Swallows and Amazons?
In addition to what other responders have said, I seem to remember that somebody, some time in the last two or three years, posted on this board some notes that AR himself made about characters' ages. But my own belief is that AR was not very consistent about maintaining the same age differences throughout the series. The trouble is, it's several years since I last re-read most of the books, so I don't have chapter and verse at my fingertips for the textual evidence for this view. The only points I can remember offhand are:
Peggy is said in S&A to be the same size as John, but in PM to have the same size shoes as Dorothea.
It's hard to imagine that Dick, at the sort of age he's usually imagined to be, would have studied qualitative analysis in school chemistry as claimed in PM.
Bridget seems to act a good deal older than four in SW. I think there's something about her using matches (which Roger was still supposed not to in WH when he must have been eight or nine).