The Far-Distant Oxus is a children’s novel of 1937, written by Katharine Hull (1921–1977) and Pamela Whitlock (1920–1982). The title comes from Matthew Arnold's poem Sohrab and Rustum. Hull and Whitlock met when they were schoolchildren (fourteen and fifteen respectively), whilst sheltering from a thunderstorm. They discovered shared interests and decided to write a story about ponies set on Exmoor. They planned out the entire book and wrote alternate chapters, exchanging them afterwards to edit. The story follows the model of the books of Arthur Ransome, describing the school holiday adventures of children of active, adventurous families, centred on outdoor activity and a vivid landscape soaked in imagination. Ransome had boats and Windermere, The Far-Distant Oxus had ponies and Exmoor.