Dick o' the Fens

A Tale of the Great East Swamp

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Pages: 360

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About this book

Dick Winthorpe and Tom Tallington make the fen their playground, with more curiosity than caution. George Manville Fenn opens this adventure novel beside a wheelwright's fire, where the boys watch an iron tyre being fitted and turn their attention to a dangerous prank involving a powder horn. The dogs Chip and Grip, the burly wheelwright and the taciturn wildfowler Dave give the scene a busy local life, amid reeds, dykes and rough boats.

The marsh landscape shapes both the humour and the action. In a later scene, Tom needs help after plunging into a bog, then insists on staying to haul a fishing net. Dick's questions about the catch bring natural history into the boys' exploits. Written for young readers, the story offers lively exchanges, practical country work and outdoor mishaps. Its close attention to birds, fish and fen life gives readers a particular place to explore through the boys' restless interests.