Watership Down. by ADAMS, Richard - 1972

London: Rex Collings, 1972. First edition of the author's first novel, sent to a reviewer, together with the publisher's press release First edition, first impression, of the author's first novel, this a review copy sent to Aidan Chambers (b. 1934), the children's and young-adult novelist who won the Carnegie Medal, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Eleanor Farjeon Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Chambers was the writer of an early review and helped establish the reputation of the book.
Chambers has annotated a number of pages with pencil notes in the margin. On page 104 he asks, for example, "The moral point of the tale? Adversity leads to communal respect?" and on page 142 he highlights text with the note "ought to have been edited out".
Watership Down was initially turned down by the major publishing houses, before publication by Rex Collings in 1972. It was quickly established as a major work of British post-war literature and reviews, such as that by Chambers which was published in The Sunday Times on 3 December 1972, helped establish the reputation of the book. Sales exceeded 100,000 copies in the first year, and Adams was awarded both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Award for children's fiction. The novel was adapted into an animated film in 1978, and two animated television series, the first running from 1999 to 2001, the second airing in 2018.
In Chambers's review, he notes that "to my own astonishment... I find myself having to admit that Watership Down is stunning, compulsive reading... a compulsive story for children with the reading skills to tackle it". Rex Collings in his press release gives a history of how he came to publish the book and states that "on paper little was for it - but in fact it was, is, a glorious, marvellous book, beautifully written, humane..." Octavo. Original brown cloth, lettering to spine and rabbit vignette to front cover in gilt. With dust jacket. Two page publisher's press release loosely inserted. Single page map within text and colour folding map at rear. Ownership inscription of Aidan and Nancy Chambers to front free endpaper ("Aidan & Nancy Chambers Amberley - S.T.- Nov 1972"). Spine very slightly bumped, cloth slightly mottled in places, very minor browning to pastedowns, minor tear to folding map; a very good copy. Spine of dust jacket slightly sunned, extremities frayed with tears to top edge and front flap; else a good example of an unclipped dust jacket.