Watership Down by Richard Adams
This novel follows a group of rabbits as they flee their warren due to a foreseen catastrophe. The rabbits, led by Hazel and his psychic brother Fiver, face numerous challenges and adventures as they search for a new home. They encounter predators, hostile rabbit communities, and human threats. The book explores themes of leadership, survival, and freedom, all set within the natural world and its inherent dangers.
The 224th greatest book of all time
Ranking Details:
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Why This Matters
By mitigating recency bias, the List Date Penalty feature helps to ensure that books that have had more time to be evaluated by readers and critics are given their due weight. This results in a more equitable and historically balanced ranking that truly reflects the greatest books of all time.
Total Points: 1387
This book was first published in 1972
35 Lists
- score: 180 -- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers - 2024 (Weight: 170)
- score: 149 -- 100 Greatest Childrens Books of All Time - 2023 (Weight: 140)
- score: 127 -- The Great Books Podcast from John J. Miller - 2025 (Weight: 120)
- score: 91 -- Fantasy and Horror: A Critical and Historical Guide - 1999 (Weight: 119)
- score: 85 -- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) - 1991 (Weight: 160)
- score: 83 -- The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time - 2020 (Weight: 81)
- score: 78 -- What’s the Best Book of the Past 125 Years? We Asked Readers to Decide. - 2021 (Weight: 80)
- score: 63 -- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time (Runners-Up) - 2026 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 60)
- score: 58 -- Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century - 1999 (Weight: 89)
- score: 54 -- The Big Read - 2003 (Weight: 70)
- score: 51 -- Five Books to Read on a Desert Island - 1983 (Weight: 137)
- score: 50 -- R/ClassicLiterature's Top 100 Favorite Books - 2026 (Weight: 50)
- score: 42 -- My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read - 2004 (Weight: 60)
- score: 29 -- Top 100 Books, As Chosen By Canadians - 2005 (Weight: 40)
- score: 27 -- Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books - 2011 (Weight: 33)
- score: 25 -- Waterstone's Books of the Century - 1997 (Weight: 40)
- score: 22 -- Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels - 1988 (Weight: 46)
- score: 19 -- 150 Great Reads - 1988 (Weight: 40)
- score: 18 -- The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: The Readers' List - 1998 (Weight: 30)
- score: 10 -- Readers’ Top 100 Novels Of All Time - 2026 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Madeline Miller's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" - 2020 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" - 2020 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Jennifer Egan's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" - 2020 (Weight: 10)
- score: 9 -- Stephen King names his 10 favourite books of all time - 2017 (Weight: 10)
- score: 8 -- Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books - 2011 (Weight: 10)
- score: 1 -- Top 100 Fantasy Books - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Books You've Always Meant to Read - 2020 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Greatest Books of 2024 - Honorable Mention - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Edmonton's Top 100 - 1998 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 500 Must Read Books - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 1)