Richard George Adams was an influential English novelist known for his works that often feature animals as principal characters. His most famous book, Watership Down, started as a story he told his young daughters and later became a bestselling novel that won several awards. Born in Newbury, Berkshire, Adams's early education was at Bradfield College, followed by studying modern history at Worcester College, Oxford.

With the outbreak of World War II, Adams served in the British Army until 1946. After a class B discharge, he returned to Oxford to continue his studies, eventually earning his Bachelor of Arts in 1948 and a Master of Arts in 1953. Adams then embarked on a career in the British Civil Service, working as an Assistant Secretary for the Department of Agriculture, and later the Department of the Environment until 1974. It was after the publication of Watership Down that he left his civil servant position to pursue writing full-time.

Adams's literary career includes nineteen books, among them notable titles such as Maia, Shardik, and The Plague Dogs. His contribution to literature, particularly in using anthropomorphized animals to explore complex themes, has left a lasting legacy.