‘Ronald Welch should definitely be better known . . .’

‘A history teacher, [Ronald Welch] wrote a series of historical novels in the 1950s that chart the Carey family through the Crusades, the Battle of Agincourt, The Wars of the Roses . . . right up until the First World War. Brilliantly written and meticulously researched, they bring history alive and I think, embarrassingly, I learned more from reading them to my second son than I did in History A-level. But good books are never didactic and these spring to life through the fantastic characterization and beautiful, imaginative prose. Ronald Welch should definitely be better known as one of the best children’s authors so huge thanks to the fabulous Slightly Foxed for republishing them’