An eight page working draft for an anthropomorphic children's story. Written on both sides of four foolscap leaves of exercise paper (approx. 4000 words), with copious deletions, additions and corrections. With an initial typescript of the same story on six foolscap pages with corrections by the author in pen throughout. Also a typed letter to Selina Hastings, donating the manuscripts to the Royal Literary Society, and explaining a little about the writing of the story.

Argos plays a peripheral part in Homer's Odyssey. He was Odysseus's faithful dog, who waited, neglected, for his master's return, and is the first to recognise the disguised Odysseus. Having done so, he dies.
"In the old days he used to be taken out by the young men when they went hunting wild goats, or deer, or hares, but now that his master was gone he was lying neglected on the heaps of mule and cow dung that lay in front of the stable doors till the men should come and draw it away to manure the great close; and he was full of fleas. As soon as he saw Odysseus standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could not get close up to his master... Argos passed into the darkness of death, now that he had seen his master once more after twenty years" - The Odyssey (Book 17)
"most people don't know about Odysseus's dog [Argos] in "The Odyssey", and how he recognised his master when he turned up in disguise after being away for twenty years" explains Adams in his covering letter with this manuscript story.
Adams had been asked by The Guardian to write a new short story for an anthology of stories by winners of The Guardian Children's Fiction Award (which Adams won in 1973 with Watership Down). In his story Adams develops the character of Argos, toward the end of his life, reminiscing to a passing cat, his version of Odysseus's departure and his adventures with Telemachus, Odysseus's son, ending with Argos's disbelief and excitement as he picks up the scent of his returning master.
Throughout the holograph manuscript there are corrections, mainly stylistic changes, often making the turn of phrase more contemporary or colloquial, but also adding and deleting phrases in the general reworking of the story.
As a whole the manuscript demonstrates the staged construction of a children's story in Adams's distinctive style, made famous by his other works for children such as Watership Down.

Stock ID: 25928