Watership Down was the title of Richard Adams's first and most successful novel, named after a hill in the north of Hampshire in England where Adams grew up. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Rex Collings Ltd in 1972.

It tells the story of the escape of a group of rabbits from their threatened home and their subsequent adventures. The book's gimmick is that these are no storybook rabbits - figuratively speaking - in that they are significantly less anthropomorphized than the average fictional animal. Technology or articles of clothing are out of the question. Though of course sentient, the rabbits have the physical attributes and fierce instincts of their real-life counterparts. Furthermore, the author has gone as far as constructing a culture for his rabbits, including a language, proverbs and mythology. More than one chapter consists of pieces of lapine lore.

Although Adams has always stated that the book was intended to be a children's story, many fans see the book as a political allegory by World War II veteran Adams, attacking fascism as Animal Farm attacked Stalinism. This opinion rises the fact that the rabbits face various warrens with their own political philosophies. This especially includes Efrafa, which is ruled with a merciless iron fist by the powerful and insane General Woundwort who becomes the hero rabbit's principal enemy in the novel.

Many years after the original novel Adams wrote a sequel of sorts, the short story anthology Tales from Watership Down.

Watership Down has become a modern classic and in 1978 was made into an acclaimed animated film, directed by Martin Rosen. In 1999, an animated television series under the same name was produced with Martin Rosen as coproducer. The book is Penguin Book's best selling book of all time.

In 2003 Watership Down was in the top 30 in a public vote for the 100 greatest books of all time taken by the BBC.

Editions

UK editions

• ISBN 0140306013 (Puffin, paperback, 1973)
• ISBN 0140039589 (Penguin, paperback, 1974)
• ISBN 0140364536 (Puffin Modern Classics, paperback, 1993)
• ISBN 0141186666 (Penguin Modern Classics, paperback, 2001)

US editions

• ISBN 0027000303 (hardcover, 1974)
• ISBN 0606050809 (prebound, 1975)
• ISBN 0380004283 (paperback, 1976, Anniversary Edition)
• ISBN 0380002930 (mass market paperback, 1976)
• ISBN 1568492502 (library binding, 1994, reprint)
• ISBN 068483605X (hardcover, 1996)
• ISBN 0783880812 (hardcover, 1997, Large Type Edition)
• ISBN 0060935456 (paperback, 2001)