ADAMS, Richard.

£7,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Watership Down. First edition, inscribed by the author on the title page, "To Don and Jo Adie, with all good wishes from Richard Adams, November 1974". Loosely inserted is a postcard inscribed by the author to the Adies over 25 years later, thanking them for their well-wishes for his 80th birthday and hoping they will meet again soon.Adams's debut novel was turned down by several publishers until it was finally accepted by the small firm of Rex Collings, who produced a print run of 2,500 copies. It was soon recognized as a major work of British post-war literature, winning both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Award for children's fiction. Adams 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).The novel was adapted into an animated film in 1978 and into two animated television series, the first running from 1999 to 2001, the second airing in 2018.

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