The market for rare children’s books is a significant one because there are a growing number of serious collectors. If you had been born in the 1920s or 30s and had managed to keep your copy of Swallows & Amazons in pristine condition, the going price today for the 1930 first edition can be as high as £13,000. Today she is a top international yachtswoman, and she blames Arthur Ransome! One small girl was captivated by the Arthur Ransome books such as Swallows & Amazons and We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea-she was captivated, despite the fact these books were published some forty years before she was born-the stories about children making camps and messing about in boats inspired her.

For most of us, nostalgia plays a big part in the hold these books have on us-even the smell of the book can take you back and remind you where you were when you first read Ballet Shoes and when you first saw the map of Treasure Island. Old favourites stay with us, either on our shelves, or vividly in our memories, and they are probably the very last books you will part with when it comes to that big clear-out. The books we read as children can be an early and lasting influence on the rest of our lives. In good condition, these same books can also command high prices as a result of significant collector interest. In the world of children’s books, classics old and new can bring us all a sense of nostalgia.

Arthur ransome books for sale