''The Far-Distant Oxus'' is a 1937 British children’s novel by Katharine Hull (1921–1977) and Pamela Whitlock (1920–1982), written while they were still children themselves.Carpenter and Prichard, 182. The title is taken from

Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lite ...

's poem ''

Sohrab and Rustum ''Sohrab and Rustum: An Episode'' is a narrative poem with strong tragic themes by Matthew Arnold, first published in 1853. The poem retells a famous episode from Ferdowsi's Persian epic ''Shahnameh'' relating how the great warrior Rustum un ...

'', and the characters in the story choose names from it for the places around them in the north coast of Devon; the real

Oxus The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin name or Greek ) is a major river in Central Asi ...

is a river in Central Asia.

Ponies and Exmoor

Hull and Whitlock met when they were pupils (14 and 15 years old respectively) at

St Mary's School, Ascot St Mary's School Ascot is a Roman Catholic independent day and boarding school for girls in Ascot, Berkshire, England.2011 ISI InspectioReport/ref> It is a member of the Girls' Schools Association. It was named 2015 " Public School of the Yea ...

, whilst sheltering from a thunderstorm. They discovered shared interests and decided to write a story about ponies set on

Exmoor Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath ...

. They planned out the entire book and wrote alternate chapters, exchanging them afterwards for editing.

Ransome and Cape

The story follows the model of the books of

Arthur Ransome Arthur Michell Ransome (18 January 1884 – 3 June 1967) was an English author and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of childre ...

, describing the school holiday adventures of children of active, adventurous families, centred on outdoor activity and a vivid landscape soaked in imagination. Ransome had boats and

Windermere Windermere (sometimes tautology (language), tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere, Cumbria (town), Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in leng ...

, ''The Far-Distant Oxus'' ponies and the

moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

. Whitlock sent the manuscript to Ransome in March 1937; he in turn brought it to his publisher

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a London publishing firm founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death in 1960. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard set up the publishing house in 1921. They established a reputation ...

, saying that he had "the best children's book of 1937" for him. Cape published the book in the ''

Swallows and Amazons ''Swallows and Amazons'' is a children's adventure novel by English author Arthur Ransome and first published on 21 July 1930 by Jonathan Cape. Set in the summer of 1929 in the Lake District, the book introduces the main characters of John, ...

'' format and persuaded Ransome to write an introduction. The Ransome introduction provides details of the way the authors wrote the book as they were still students at boarding school. The introduction also references early letters between Whitlock and Ransome and also Bridget Bodley, later Lady Bridget Faulks. The book and its sequels use what has been termed, the 'Ransome method of geography.' That is, using real places but often set in different locations on their Exmoor map. For instance, the central location of Cloud Farm appears correct but associated locations close by may be found some distance away. This is a feature of Ransome's earlier works.

Success

The book, illustrated by Whitlock, was successful; contemporary reviewers were impressed and critics today remain positive. ''The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books'' comments that it is "as absorbing as Ransome at his best". The two authors followed it with sequels ''Escape to Persia'' (1938), and ''The Oxus in Summer'' (1939). They wrote an unrelated book called ''Crowns'' (1947).

Fidra Books Fidra Books is a publisher based in Edinburgh specializing in reissues of bygone children's books, mainly those from the 1940s onwards. Foundation and range The firm was set up in 2005 by Malcolm and Vanessa Robertson, who also opened Edinbur ...

reissued the novel in August 2008. Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books in Newcastle upon Tyne now houses the Pamela Whitlock Archive. It contains the authors original art work for the books as well as correspondence between herself and Arthur Ransome, and letters to her husband, John Bell, immediately after Pamela had passed away.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Far-Distant Oxus, The 1937 British novels 20th-century British children's literature British children's novels Novels set in Devon Jonathan Cape books Pony books 1937 children's books

Ponies and Exmoor

Ransome and Cape

Success

See also

Further reading

References