Watership Down

London: Rex Collings, 1972. First Edition. Hard Cover. First UK Edition. 413 pages. Superbly rebound by the world-renowned Bayntun-Riviere of Bath. SIGNED LETTER LAID IN . Sumptuously re-bound in full biscuit-brown morocco with all edges gilt, 5 raised bands to the spine with title blocked in gold in panel 2 and author's name blocked in gold in panel 3;decorative chiyogami end-papers; and single-line gilt border to both the front and back boards with rabbit motif in gold gilt to the front board What differentiates this copy from the norm - apart from the beautiful binding - is how clean the interior pages are. An OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE. No inscriptions. Becoming very scarce indeed. It would grace any collection of modern first editions. A fine copy. Laid in is a SUPERB TYPED & SIGNED LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR DATED 4th MAY 1973 from his address 26, St Paul's Place, Canonbury, London N.1. addressed to a Mrs Vaughan at The Thatched Cottage, Baulking, Near Uffington, Berkshire: Dear Mrs Vaughan, What a very encouraging and splendid letter to/ receive from somebody who actually lives in the Downs --/ not quite Hazel's Downs, but jolly near. I feel deeply/ grateful to you for taking the trouble to write to me./ It would be idle to deny that the book caused me a lot/ of trouble and heart-searching, and to know that there is/ somebody like yourself to whom it has given pleasure makes/ it all worth while. As to the 'O' Level syllabus, I sup-/pose if Hazel ever appeared there, he would indeed have a/ golden fleece (or whatever the lapine equivalent of/ "fleece" is. as far as the author was concerned. But I/ would be in two minds about it. So often, if children's/ noses are actually held into a book, with the implied com/ ment: "Read that, you little beast. It'll be good for/ you," it only seems to put them off - not surprisingly, perhaps./ Incidentally, I have been much surprised and mystified by/ people saying the book is a "modern fable," "a deep, moral/ comment on modern society," etc. etc. There was no such/ stuff in my thoughts. I was just writing a story, and any-/ thing of that nature is entirely fortuitous./ I have a cottage at the other end of your Downs myself --/ it's not far from Streatley, and on the Ridgeway - so per-/ haps we may meet one day, who knows?/ Again, many thanks for your kind letter./ Yours very sincerely/ / RICHARD ADAMS". Scarce with these attributes. Looks very smart in its custom-made acetate wrapper. Photographs/scans available upon request.