R reached the country and landed unhindered. The following questions seem pertinent:
Was Arthur Ransome searched when he arrived in this country?
What messages and letters did he bring from Bolshevik HQ Moscow to this country? And to whom were they delivered?
Telegram
W.O. No. 02501
eighteenth on special request British Consul Ransome received Visa Swedish Legation extraquick time STOP Ransome’s character should be known London undoubtedly capable dangerous agent
* * *
ALSO BY MARCUS SEDGWICK
The Ghosts of Heaven
Midwinterblood
Revolver
She Is Not Invisible
White Crow
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marcus Sedgwick was born and raised in Kent in South East England, but now lives in the French Alps. His books have won and been shortlisted for many awards; most notably, he has been shortlisted for Britain’s Carnegie Medal six times, has received two Printz Honors, for Revolver and Ghosts of Heaven, and in 2013 won the Printz Award for Midwinterblood. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
1942—Coniston
PART I: A RUSSIAN FAIRY TALE
Once Upon a Time …
A Magical Land
Life and Blood
In the Name of the Tsar
Cruel Tales
Engagement and Escape
Fancy Wooden Box
O, Russia
Resurrection
God’s Instrument
Incidences of the Bizarre
Vladimir and Lev, the Russian and the Jew.
Execution
Miraculous February
Exit the Fairy Tale, Enter the Storyteller
Darkness into Daylight
PART II: ONE NIGHT IN MOSCOW
Before
3:45 p.m.
4:30 p.m.
5:05 p.m.
5:40 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Continued
6:10 p.m.
6:10 p.m. Continued
6:35 p.m.
7:20 p.m.
7:55 p.m.
8:10 p.m.
8:20 p.m.
8:50 p.m.
8:50 p.m. Continued
9:20 p.m.
9:20 p.m. Continued
9:20 p.m. Continued
9:35 p.m.
9:35 p.m. Continued
9:40 p.m.
PART III: A FAIRY TALE, ENDING
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
1942—Coniston
Fallen Leaves
Author’s Note
A Timeline
Ransome the Spy?
Appendix
Also by Marcus Sedgwick
About the Author
Copyright
Text copyright © 2007 by Marcus Sedgwick
Published by Roaring Brook Press
Roaring Brook Press is a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
fiercereads.com
First published in the United Kingdom in 2007 by Orion Children’s Books, London
All rights reserved
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows
Names: Sedgwick, Marcus, author.
Title: Blood Red snow White / Marcus Sedgwick.
Description: First edition. | New York: Roaring Brook Press, [2016] | First published in Great Britain in 2007. | Summary: “A novel based on the life of children’s book author Arthur Ransome, who left his home, his wife, and daughter and fell in love with Russia and a Russian woman and was suspected, by both sides, of being a spy”—Provided by publisher. Includes timeline, historical notes, and selected writings of Ransome.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015034428 | ISBN 9781626725478 (hardback) | ISBN 9781626725485 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Ransome, Arthur, 1884–1967—Juvenile fiction. | CYAC: Ransome, Arthur, 1884–1967—Fiction. | Authors—Fiction. | Love—Fiction. | Fairy tales—Fiction. | Soviet Union—History—Revolution, 1917–1921—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Love & Romance. | JUVENILE FICTION / Historical / Europe. | JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General.
Classification: LCC PZ7.S4484 Blo 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available athttps://lccn.loc.gov/2015034428
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by e-mail at [email protected].
eISBN 9781626725485
First American edition, 2016
eBook edition, October 2016
The extract from Old Peter’s Russian Tales is reproduced here with kind permission from The Arthur Ransome Literary Estate
All telegrams have been sourced from and reproduced here with kind permission from The National Archives of the United Kingdom
Blood Red Snow White Page 19
