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Richard Adams


Born
in Newbury, Berkshire, England, The United Kingdom
May 09, 1920

Died
December 24, 2016

Genre
Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Influences
Ronald Lockley ...more


Adams was born in Newbury, Berkshire. From 1933 until 1938 he was educated at Bradfield College. In 1938 he went up to Worcester College, Oxford to read Modern History. On 3 September 1939 Neville Chamberlain announced that the United Kingdom was at war with Germany. In 1940 Adams joined the British Army, in which he served until 1946. He received a class B discharge enabling him to return to Worcester to continue his studies for a further two years (1946-48). He took the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1948 and of Master of Arts in 1953.

He was a senior civil servant who worked as an Assistant Secretary for the Department of Agriculture, later part of the Department of the Environment, from 1948 to 1974. Since 1974, following publication of h ...more

Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.07 · 543,477 ratings · 23,766 reviews · 85 distinct works • Similar authors
Watership Down (Watership D...
4.09 avg rating — 504,796 ratings — published 1972 — 309 editions
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Tales from Watership Down ...
3.84 avg rating — 9,512 ratings — published 1996 — 60 editions
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The Plague Dogs
3.89 avg rating — 8,869 ratings — published 1977 — 73 editions
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Shardik
3.52 avg rating — 4,578 ratings — published 1974 — 73 editions
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Maia
4.03 avg rating — 2,490 ratings — published 1984 — 41 editions
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The Girl in a Swing
3.53 avg rating — 2,135 ratings — published 1980 — 2 editions
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Traveller
3.92 avg rating — 1,274 ratings — published 1988 — 27 editions
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The Iron Wolf and Other Sto...
3.60 avg rating — 247 ratings — published 1980 — 9 editions
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The Tyger Voyage
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4.13 avg rating — 171 ratings — published 1976 — 17 editions
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The Ship's Cat
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4.21 avg rating — 156 ratings — published 1977 — 12 editions
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More books by Richard Adams…

Series by Richard Adams

Watership Down Tales from Watership Down
(2 books)
by
4.09 avg rating — 517,584 ratings

Maia Shardik
(2 books)
by
3.70 avg rating — 7,067 ratings

Related News

Say what you will about George R.R. Martin's long-awaited fantasy installment, Winds of Winter. Some of the sequels in our roundup below have...
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59 likes · 25 comments
Quotes by Richard Adams  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.”
― Richard Adams, Watership Down
1265 likes
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“Animals don't behave like men,' he said. 'If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don't sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures' lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality.”
― Richard Adams, Watership Down
tags: evil
830 likes
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“My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today.”
― Richard Adams, Watership Down
tags: death, grief, loss
759 likes
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Polls

Which anthropomorphic fantasy book/series is the best?

Warriors series by Erin Hunter Warriors Box Set (Warriors, #1-6) by Erin Hunter The New Prophecy Box Set (Books 1-6) by Erin Hunter Warriors Power of Three Box Set Volumes 1 to 6 by Erin Hunter Warriors Omen of the Stars Box Set Volumes 1 to 6 by Erin Hunter Erin Hunter
 
  133 votes, 23.5%

Redwall series by Brian Jacques The Redwall Collection by Brian Jaques Brian Jacques
 
  66 votes, 11.6%

Watership Down by Richard Adams Watership Down by Richard Adams Tales from Watership Down by Richard Adams Richard Adams
 
  64 votes, 11.3%

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White Charlotte's Web by E.B. White E.B. White
 
  55 votes, 9.7%

"The Named" series by Clare Bell Ratha's Creature (The Named, #1) by Clare Bell Clan Ground by Clare Bell Ratha and Thistle-Chaser by Clare Bell Ratha's Challenge (The Named, #4) by Clare Bell Ratha's Courage (The Named, #5) by Clare Bell Clare Bell
 
  24 votes, 4.2%

The Seekers series by Erin Hunter The Quest Begins (Seekers, #1) by Erin Hunter Great Bear Lake (Seekers, #2) by Erin Hunter Smoke Mountain (Seekers, #3) by Erin Hunter The Last Wilderness (Seekers, #4) by Erin Hunter Erin Hunter
 
  23 votes, 4.1%

The Wolves of the Beyond series by Kathryn Lasky Lone Wolf (Wolves of the Beyond, #1) by Kathryn Lasky Shadow Wolf (Wolves of the Beyond, #2) by Kathryn Lasky Watch Wolf (Wolves of the Beyond, #3) by Kathryn Lasky Frost Wolf (Wolves of the Beyond, #4) by Kathryn Lasky Spirit Wolf (Wolves of the Beyond, #5) by Kathryn Lasky Star Wolf (Wolves of the Beyond, #6) by Kathryn Lasky Kathryn Lasky
 
  21 votes, 3.7%

The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series by Kathryn Lasky Guardians of Ga'hoole Boxed Set (Guardians of Ga'hoole, #1-6) by Kathryn Lasky Kathryn Lasky
 
  20 votes, 3.5%

Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan Swordbird (Swordbird, #1) by Nancy Yi Fan Sword Quest (Swordbird, #0) by Nancy Yi Fan Sword Mountain (Swordbird, #2) by Nancy Yi Fan Nancy Yi Fan
 
  17 votes, 3.0%

The Sight & Fell by David Clement-Davies The Sight (Sight, #1) by David Clement-Davies Fell (The Sight, #2) by David Clement-Davies David Clement-Davies
 
  15 votes, 2.6%

A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin A Dog's Life The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin Ann M. Martin
 
  13 votes, 2.3%

The Survivors series by Erin Hunter The Empty City (Survivors, #1) by Erin Hunter A Hidden Enemy (Survivors, #2) by Erin Hunter Darkness Falls (Survivors, #3) by Erin Hunter The Broken Path (Survivors, #4) by Erin Hunter The Endless Lake (Survivors, #5) by Erin Hunter Erin Hunter
 
  12 votes, 2.1%

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
 
  12 votes, 2.1%

The Farthing Wood series by Colin Dann The Animals of Farthing Wood (Farthing Wood, #1) by Colin Dann Colin Dann
 
  12 votes, 2.1%

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Rudyard Kipling
 
  11 votes, 1.9%

Bambi: A Life in the Forest by Felix Salten Bambi by Felix Salten Felix Salten
 
  10 votes, 1.8%

The Mistmantle Chronicles by Margaret McAllister Urchin of the Riding Stars (The Mistmantle Chronicles, #1) by Margaret McAllister Urchin and the Heartstone (The Mistmantle Chronicles, #2) by Margaret McAllister The Heir of Mistmantle (The Mistmantle Chronicles, #3) by Margaret McAllister Urchin and the Raven War (The Mistmantle Chronicles, #4) by Margaret McAllister Urchin and the Rage Tide (The Mistmantle Chronicles, #5) by Margaret McAllister Margaret McAllister
 
  10 votes, 1.8%

The Wild Road by Gabriel King The Wild Road (The Wild Road, #1) by Gabriel King The Golden Cat (The Wild Road #2) by Gabriel King
 
  9 votes, 1.6%

Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies David Clement-Davies
 
  8 votes, 1.4%

The Wolf Chronicles by Dorothy Hearst Promise of the Wolves (Wolf Chronicles, #1) by Dorothy Hearst Secrets of the Wolves (Wolf Chronicles, #2) by Dorothy Hearst
 
  8 votes, 1.4%

Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams Tad Williams
 
  8 votes, 1.4%

Duncton Wood by William Horwood Duncton Wood (Duncton Chronicles, #1) by William Horwood
 
  6 votes, 1.1%

The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams Richard Adams
 
  5 votes, 0.9%

Mouseheart series by Lisa Fiedler Mouseheart by Lisa Fiedler Lisa Fiedler
 
  3 votes, 0.5%

Neversink by Barry Wolverton Neversink by Barry Wolverton Barry Wolverton
 
  2 votes, 0.4%

567 total votes
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Topics Mentioning This Author

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