ADAMS, Richard ~ Tales from Watership Down. Signed by the author, with signed photograph and notecard.

FIRST UK PRINTING. Hutchinson, London: 1996

8vo., black publisher's boards, lettered in gilt to backstrip with publisher's device to foot; dark green endpapers; together in the illustrated dustwrapper featuring a wraparound image by John Lawrence; title vignette, and a further three full-page sketches by the same; THE BOOK essentially fine; the fine DUSTWRAPPER just a touch creased at edges. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First edition, with full number line 1-10. This copy signed by the author in blue biro to the title page, along with a loosely tipped-in photograph, additionally signed by Adams, and a notecard inscribed "To James and Sally, with my best wishes, Richard Adams" dated 1st August '06. A long-awaited follow up to 'Watership Down', the author's debut work and a classic work of children's fiction published in 1972. The present title, which followed almost 25 years later, explores some of the folk stories known to the rabbits, as well as the lives of some of the key characters in the original work; Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig and others. Richard Adams was a fervent supporter of animal rights, and as well as his writings, which were dominated by themes of anthropomorphosied animals and naturalism, he served as as president of the RSPCA, and was a long-term patron of Animal Aid. His 1977 novel 'The Plague Dogs' described a mongrel and a terrier, who escaped from an animal testing facility, and in some of the present tales, Adams returns to his common theme of the threat of man to animals - here describing wildfires, and a rabbit who 'smells of man'. John Lawrence is a prolific illustrator and wood engraver, who has provided artwork for over 200 books including, most recently, Philip Pullman's 'Lyra's Oxford' and 'One upon a time in the North'. Scarce with these attributes.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Fine
JACKET: Fine