Watership Down: A NovelNow with a new introduction by Madeline Miller, the New York Times bestselling author of The Song of Achilles and Circe. The 50th anniversary edition of Richard Adam’s timeless classic, the tale of a band of wild rabbits struggling to hold onto their place in the world—“a classic yarn of discovery and struggle” (The New York Times). A worldwide bestseller for over thirty years, Watership Down is one of the most beloved novels of all time. Set in England’s Downs, a once idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of brothers, they journey from their native Sandleford Warren, through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, and toward the dream of a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society. “Spellbinding…Marvelous…A taut tale of suspense, hot pursuit and derring-do.” —Chicago Tribune |
Contents
| 3 | |
The Departure | 16 |
In the Woods | 22 |
The Story of the Blessing of Elahrairah | 26 |
The Lendri and the River | 29 |
The Crossing | 33 |
The Crow and the Beanfield | 39 |
The Road and the Common | 45 |
Across the Iron Road | 282 |
33 | 290 |
General Woundwort | 303 |
Groping | 312 |
Approaching Thunder | 331 |
The Thunder Builds Up | 336 |
The Thunder Breaks | 348 |
Bridle track | 357 |
Hard Going | 54 |
The Stranger in the Field | 58 |
Hospitality | 70 |
Like Trees in November | 79 |
The Story of the Kings Lettuce | 93 |
Silverweed | 100 |
The Shining Wire | 106 |
ON WATERSHIP DOWN xii | 119 |
22 | 161 |
Kehaar | 178 |
Nuthanger Farm | 197 |
The Raid | 205 |
26 | 225 |
You Cant Imagine It Unless Youve Been There | 229 |
At the Foot of the Hill | 242 |
29 | 251 |
EFRAFA | 259 |
A New Journey | 261 |
The Story of Elahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé | 268 |
HAZELRAH | 367 |
39 | 369 |
The Way Back | 381 |
The Story of Rowsby Woof and the Fairy Wogdog | 394 |
Railroad | 402 |
News at Sunset | 407 |
The Great Patrol | 414 |
A Message from Elahrairah | 422 |
45 | 430 |
Bigwig Stands His Ground | 436 |
The Sky Suspended | 444 |
Dea ex Machina | 454 |
Watership Down 121 | 459 |
Hazel Comes Home | 460 |
And Last | 464 |
Epilogue | 472 |
Lapine Glossary | 475 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
afraid asked Hazel bank began better Bigwig bird Black Rabbit Blackavar Blackberry Bluebell Boxwood Buckthorn burrow Campion Captain Chervil Chief Rabbit Cowslip crouched Dandelion dark ditch ears edge Efrafa El-ahrairah elil farm feed feel felt field fight Fiver Frith gone grass Groundsel Hawkbit Hazel-rah hear heard hedge hole Holly Honeycomb hraka Hufsa hutch Hyzenthlay iron road Kehaar kill knew leave legs lettuces listening looked Meester morning move never ni-Frith night nose Nuthanger Farm once Owsla patrol Peeg Pipkin Prince Rainbow Rabscuttle rain replied river round Rowsby Woof scratched seemed sentries side silence silflay Silver sleep slope smell sniffing soon sound Speedwell stared stay stoat stopped Strawberry sure talk tell there's Thethuthinnang thing Thlayli thought Threarah told trees turned underground Vervain wait warren what's wood Woundwort
Popular passages
Page 7 - Wit's sour delights, With gloves, and knots, the silly snares of pleasure, Yet his dear treasure, All scattered lay, while he his eyes did pour Upon a flower.