Note:

• First published in 1939 John Clute gives year 1936 (quoted below) but the British Library, among others, reports 1939 (BL 002156469) and no other early edition; items in June/July 1939 newspapers imply that the work is new. One dealer at ABEbooks (bi=14495202744) notes "that the publication date of 1939 does not appear in the first edition. All later editions have dates listed."
• Some 1939 and 1958 coverage suggests that travel to historical time --eg, ancient Egypt, feudal Europe, Norman England (indeed, the children return with a Norman girl)-- is more prominent than that to Asgard or Valhalla, etc (contrast Clute, quoted below).

Synopsis: HL is "best-known for her first Children's Fantasy, The Ship that Flew (1936[sic]), in which four children discover a Toy ship in a magic Shop. They soon find the ship can grow to hold them, that it was once Odin's gift to the god Frey, and that it is prepared to take them to Asgard and other places – such as Sherwood Forest (Robin Hood). (underscore represents linked cross-reference) --SFE: Encyclopedia of Fantasy, biographical entry by John Clute