A rare signed first edition copy of Arthur Ransome's 1930 work Swallows & Amazons is valued at £4,000-6,000 ($6,126-9,189) ahead of a sale at Bonhams London on March 18.

Swallows & Amazons remains an enormously popular series of children's books

Ransome spent many years working as a journalist prior to writing the bestselling series of children's books. It was inspired by a summer spent teaching the children of some family friends to sail.

The record for a first edition copy of Swallows & Amazons stands at £6,500 ($9,941), set at Tennants Auctioneers in 2007.

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