Pigeon Post 4071305 225399090 2008-07-13T13:58:32Z Robina Fox 1765847 reordering lead paras {{For|the transmission of messages by pigeons|Pigeon post}} {{infobox Book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books --> | name = Pigeon Post | title_orig = | translator = | image = [[Image:Pigeon Post cover.jpg|200px]] | image_caption = Cover of Jonathan Cape edition of Arthur Ransome's 1936 novel, Pigeon Post | author = [[Arthur Ransome]] | cover_artist = [[Arthur Ransome]] | country = [[United Kingdom]] | language = [[English language|English]] | series = [[Swallows and Amazons (series)|Swallows and Amazons]] | genre = Children's books | publisher = [[Jonathan Cape]] | release_date = 1936 | media_type = Print ([[Hardcover]] & [[Paperback]]) | pages = | isbn = ISBN 0-613-77235-0 | preceded_by = [[Coot Club]] | followed_by = [[We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea]] }} '''''Pigeon Post''''' is the sixth book in [[Arthur Ransome]]'s [[Swallows and Amazons (series)|Swallows and Amazons]] series of children's books, published in 1936. It won the first [[Carnegie Medal]] awarded for children's literature. This book is one of the few Swallows and Amazons books that does not feature sailing. All the action takes place on and under the [[fell]]s surrounding the Lake. Ransome made use of the mining and prospecting knowledge and experience of his friend, Oscar Gnosspelius, who features in the book as a character known as Squashy Hat. ==Plot summary== The '''Swallows''', '''Amazons''' and '''Ds''' are camping in the Blackett family's garden at Beckfoot. The ''Swallow'' is not available for sailing. James Turner ([[Captain Flint]]) has sent word that he is returning from a prospecting expedition to South America and has sent ''Timothy'' ahead. They deduce that Timothy is an [[armadillo]] and make a box for him, but he does not arrive. ''Slater Bob'', an old [[slate]] [[miner]], tells them a story about a lost [[gold]] seam in the fells. As Captain Flint has been unsuccessful in his prospecting trip, plans are made to prospect for gold on ''High Topps'' instead. They move camp to Tyson's Farm to be closer to the prospecting grounds but they find this is little improvement as Mrs Tyson does not allow them to cook over a campfire because of the [[drought]] conditions and her fear of fires. [[List of characters in Arthur Ransome books#The Swallows|Titty]] eventually finds a spring by [[dowsing]] and they move closer to the Topps. To keep in touch with Beckfoot, they send one of the [[homing pigeon]]s with a message: "A pigeon a day keeps the natives at bay". While exploring the ground, they notice a rival they call ''Squashy Hat'' who also is prospecting. After days of prospecting, gold is found and they collect enough to melt down into an ingot in a [[charcoal]] furnace. Unfortunately it disappears when the crucible is broken and Dick Callum has only a small amount to test with [[aqua regia]]. Captain Flint returns. While he explains to Dick that aqua regia dissolves everything (and that gold doesn't dissolve in anything else) and they have found [[copper]] [[ore]] not gold, a pigeon arrives with an urgent message about fire on the fells. They alert the volunteer fire fighters and rush to help save the 'High Topps'. The fire is extinguished, Captain Flint is quite satisfied with finding copper and ''Squashy Hat'' is revealed as his friend Timothy, who has been too shy to introduce himself to the children. {{SwallowsandAmazonsbooks}} [[Category:1936 novels]] [[Category:British novels]] [[Category:Adventure novels]] [[Category:Children's novels]] [[Category:Swallows and Amazons series]] [[cs: Holubí pošta (román)]]