| Creator: | Adams, Richard, 1920- |
| Title: | Adams, R. mss. |
| Collection No.: | LMC 1006 |
| Dates: | 1968-1984 |
| Quantity: |
Quantity: 2 Boxes Quantity: 2 standard |
| Abstract: | The Adams, R. mss., 1968-1984, collection consists of the papers of publishing firm Rex Collings Ltd. relating to the publication of several novels, primarily Watership Down (1972), by author Richard Adams, 1920-2016. |
| Location: | Lilly - Stacks |
| Language: | English . |
| Repository: | Lilly Library 1200 E. Seventh St. Bloomington, Indiana 47405-5500 Business Number: 812-855-2452 liblilly@indiana.edu URL: https://libraries.indiana.edu/lilly-library |
Richard Adams, 1920-2016, was born and grew up in Wash Common, England, before attending Worcester College, Oxford, and serving in World War II. Writing was initially a casual pastime for Adams, but after his children pushed him to turn a story he once made up for them into a book, he embarked on the task of writing and publishing his most famous work, Watership Down (1972). The manuscript was turned down several times by different publishers before Rex Collings accepted it. The novel earned widespread acclaim, but it was not before Adams has published his second book, Shardik (1974), that he began to write full-time. He wrote several more novels, including The Plague Dogs (1977) and The Girl in a Swing (1980). Adams died in 2016 at the age of 96.
Most of the papers concern the bestselling children's classic Watership Down (1972), including correspondence, contracts, publicity and production materials, royalty statements, clippings, a radio script, and materials regarding the illustrated edition and the film. There also is a press release and clipping for his The Girl in a Swing (1980); a contract with Penguin Books for The Plague Dogs (1977); and production materials, a press release, and contract materials with Penguin Books for Shardik (1974), as well as correspondence relating to all three of these titles: in particular is a letter from Adams to Rex Collings dated Apr. 29, 1977 concerning a perceived attack on civil servants and parliamentarians in The Plague Dogs. In a July 3, 1973 letter to Collings, Adams discusses the concept and imagery behind the story of Shardik .
This collection is arranged following original order.
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[Item], Adams, R. mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Acquired: 1991
Processed by Staff. Completed in 2013.
Physical Description: (32 folders)
Scope and Contents: Bulk of correspondence pertains to Watership Down. Also includes correspondence regarding The Ship's Cat, Shardik, and The Plague Dogs.
Physical Description: (4 folders)
Physical Description: (7 folders)