Richard Adams books in order
English novelist best known as the author of Watership Down
- Lived
- 1920–2016
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Books
- 26
Richard Adams published 11 novels, 1 novella, 4 short story collections, 3 non-fiction books, 2 children's books, 2 poetry collections and 3 other books, beginning with Watership Down (1972).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Richard Adams
Start here
Watership Down
Richard Adams's most-read book, rated by 107 Open Library readers.
Standalone novels in order
Watership Down (Nov 1972)
Shardik (1974)
The Plague Dogs (Sep 1977)
The Girl in a Swing (Apr 1980)
The Best Of Ernest Thompson Seton (1982)
Maia (Sep 1984)
A Nature Diary (1985)
Traveller (May 1988)
The Day Gone by (1990)
The Outlandish Knight (2000)
Daniel (2006)
Novellas in order
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1991)
Short story collections in order
Sinister and Supernatural Stories (1978)
The Iron Wolf and Other Stories (1980)
Richard Adamss Favourite Animal Stories (1981)
Tales from Watership Down (1996)
Non-fiction in order
Nature Through the Seasons (1975)
Nature Day and Night (1978)
Voyage Through the Antarctic (1982)
Children's books in order
The Bureaucats (1985)
The Adventures of Egg Box Dragon (2019)
Poetry in order
The Tyger Voyage (1976)
The Adventures & Brave Deeds of the Ship's Cat on the Spanish Maine (1977)
Other books in order
The Watership Down Film Picture Book (1978)
Appropriate English (1984)
Maia Part 1 Of 3 (1984)
Film and TV adaptations
- Watership Down (1978)Film · from Watership Down
- Watership DownTV · from Watership Down
- Watership DownTV · from Watership Down
- The Plague Dogs (1982)Film · from The Plague Dogs
- The Girl in a Swing (1988)Film · from The Girl in a Swing
About Richard Adams
Richard George Adams was an English novelist. He is best known for his debut novel Watership Down which achieved international acclaim. His other works included Maia, Shardik and The Plague Dogs. He studied Modern History at Worcester College, Oxford, before serving in the British Army during World War II. After completing his studies, he joined the British Civil Service. In 1974, two years after Watership Down was published, Adams became a full-time author.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Richard Adams FAQ
- How many books has Richard Adams written?
- Richard Adams published 11 novels, 1 novella, 4 short story collections, 3 non-fiction books, 2 children's books, 2 poetry collections and 3 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Richard Adams's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Watership Down.
- What is Richard Adams's last book?
- Daniel (2006).
- What is Richard Adams's most famous book?
- Watership Down (1972) is Richard Adams's most widely read book.
- Which Richard Adams books have been adapted?
- 3 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Watership Down (film, 1978), The Plague Dogs (film, 1982) and The Girl in a Swing (film, 1988).
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.