WATERSHIP DOWN WORLD

Adams, Richard (1920–2016) Artwork by Eric Tenney

Watership Down Calendars 1978 & 79 [Illustrated Fantasy Ephemera]

The Downs imagined in full color

A paired set of late-1970s Watership Down calendars, issued at the height of the novel’s popularity and extending its visual identity into collectible illustrated ephemera. These calendars present the landscape and mythology of the Downs through richly detailed artwork, translating a literary world into a visual experience.

Each calendar features full-page illustrations by Eric Tenney, capturing key atmospheric elements of the Downs—rolling landscapes, burrows, and narrative scenes tied to the novel’s tone of survival and movement.

The 1978 issue includes a centerfold map of the Downs, while the 1979 issue retains its original illustrated centerfold poster. Together, they offer strong crossover appeal for collectors of fantasy literature, illustration, and late 20th-century publishing ephemera.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Stapled wall calendars. Large format; 13.5 × 9.5 inches. Twelve monthly leaves per calendar. Full-color illustrations throughout. 1978 issue includes centerfold poster map of the Downs; 1979 issue includes illustrated centerfold poster.

CONDITION: Bindings are tight and secure. Text is clean; light, even age-toning.
+++ 1978: Clean interior; no flaws to note. Modest, even age-toning to the outer wraps.
+++ 1979: Stain to upper outer right area, not affecting images; minor impact to rear cover and January leaf. Both remain complete and displayable examples.

CONTEXTUAL SIGNIFICANCE —
Issued shortly after the novel’s success and ahead of its 1978 film adaptation, these calendars illustrate the growing commercial and visual reach of fantasy publishing in the late twentieth century.

These calendars reflect the broader expansion of Watership Down from novel to cultural phenomenon. The artwork presents the Downs not simply as setting but as a visual world, reinforcing the pastoral yet mythic qualities central to Adams’s work. As ephemeral objects intended for year-long use, their survival offers insight into how fantasy literature was marketed and experienced beyond the page.

SUBJECTS: Watership Down, Richard Adams, Eric Tenney, fantasy illustration, rabbits in literature, English countryside, 1970s publishing, illustrated calendars, Literary ephemera; Fantasy illustration; Pop culture.

Item #21960

Price: $34.00