Year: 1943

Important Characters: Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, The Thompsons, Professor Calculus

French Title: Le Tresor de Rackham Le Rouge

In the second instalment of the treasure hunt, we see the first appearance of Professor Calculus. Each of his repeated attempts to accompany Tintin on his adventure fail, so he is forced to sneak aboard The Sirius as a stowaway. It is as if Calculus is being tested to see if he has the mettle to become a permanent character in the series. Haddock goes through a similar period of transition in The Crab with the Golden Claws.

Another new element in the series is established in this book: Marlinspike Hall and it's butler Nestor. The acquisition of Haddock's ancestral home brings a fundamental change to The Adventures of Tintin. It is a massive displacement from Tintin and Haddock's modest flats at the start of The Secret of the Unicorn to this stately country home. The characters are no longer always on the move but have acquired a haven of peace between the adventures, unless of course Bianca Castafiore, the Milanese Nightingale, invites herself.

Marlinspike was inspired by Cheverny, one of the many Loire chateaux. But Hergé finally opted for a Cheverny shorn of its two wings, to make it less pretentious and more habitable. Hergé's original name for the house, Moulinsart, is that of a small Belgian town, Sarmoulin, turned round. In such surroundings, the temptation to play lord of the manor is great. Haddock briefly succumbs at the beginning of The Seven Crystal Balls, but soon realises that monocles and horses are not for him.