Watership Down

Watership Down by Richard Adams.

London: Rex Collings, [1972]. First edition, first impression of Richard Adams' first novel, in its original, unclipped dust wrapper.

The title refers to the rabbits' destination, a hill in the north of Hampshire, England, near the area where the author grew up. The story has its roots in the tales that Richard Adams made up for his young daughters during long car journeys. As he explained in 2007 in an interview with the BBC, he "began telling the story of the rabbits . . . improvised off the top of my head, as we were driving along." He based the struggles of the animals on the struggles he and his friends encountered during the Battle of Oosterbeek in 1944. The daughters insisted he write it down, "they were very, very persistent." After some delay he began writing in the evenings and completed it 18 months later.

Initially turned down by several publishers, Watership Down was finally accepted by the small firm of Rex Collings, with a first printing of only 2,500 copies. It was soon recognised as a major work of British post-war literature. Watership Down won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Award for children's fiction, and was adapted into an animated film in 1978, and two animated television series. Adams (1920-2016) remains "a significant figure in the development in children's literature, namely in the establishment of the 'crossover' novel which, though intended for younger readers, can reach out to adults through maturity of theme, complexity of thought, and sophistication of language" (ODNB).

Condition

First edition, first impression. Octavo. Pp. viii, 413. Original brown cloth, spine lettered and front cover decorated with rabbit vignette in gilt. With original, unclipped dust jacket.

Very good copy overall; lightest crush to spine tips, a few minor wear marks to spine, foxing to edges and prelims, a 3.5 cm stain to fore edge and a slight forward lean. Complete with map in very good condition. In like dust wrapper that is unclipped and shows £3.50 price to front flap, with only a light, faded mark and a little discolouration to spine. Now placed in an archival sleeve.

A very nice, increasingly rare copy indeed of this much loved classic.