Further Adventures of Lad
1922 Grosset & Dunlap second printing cover
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| Author | Albert Payson Terhune |
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| Cover artist | Charles Livingston Bull |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult fiction |
| Publisher | George H. Doran Company |
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Publication date
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1922 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 341 pp (first edition) |
| OCLC | 7443640 |
| Preceded by | Lad: A Dog |
| Followed by | Lad of Sunnybank |
Further Adventures of Lad, also known as Dog Stories Every Child Should Know, is a 1922 American novel written by Albert Payson Terhune and published by George H. Doran. A follow-up to Lad: A Dog, it contains an additional eleven short stories featuring a fictional version of Terhune's real-life rough collie Lad, including the stories of Lad's initial arrival at the "Place", the death of his mate, and the day of his own death. Most of the stories were originally published in various magazines, and touch on themes of justice and the concepts of right and wrong. Terhune notes that he decided to publish the novel due to numerous letters received in response to the first novel, and the thousands of visitors who came to Sunnybank to visit the real-life Lad's grave. Though he initially intended for Further Adventures of Lad to be the final book of Lad stories, he would eventually publish one more book of stories, Lad of Sunnybank in 1929.
The novel was a bestseller and well received by fans of the first novel, as well as new readers. Critics praised the stories as "charming" and "entertaining", finding Lad a "delightful" and desirable dog. A critic for the New York Tribune, however, criticized Terhune's writing style and felt Lad was an unbelievable character, while also still noting that book lovers would enjoy it. It was listed among H.W. Wilson Company's 1922 list of 10,000 books they deemed the "most useful". Warner Brothers purchased the film rights for Lad: A Dog, Further Adventures of Lad, and Lad of Sunnybank, intending to produce a series of films and possibly a television series. The first film, Lad: A Dog, was released in June 1962 but it was unsuccessful in the box office and the project was dropped. The novel is now a public domain work.
A couple, referred to only as the Master and Mistress, purchase a pure-bred rough collie named Lad to be the guard dog of their home, the Place. Though they are surprised when they receive a puppy instead of an adult dog, they decide to keep him and he quickly shows himself to be very intelligent and easily trainable. At first, Lad views all people as friends, including a burglar who robs the house one night. When the man climbs out the window with a bag of loot, Lad thinks he is playing a game and snatches the bag in play. The thief chases Lad, then shoots him to get back the bag. Lad realizes the man is not friendly and turns to attack him, but the thief falls into a ditch, knocking himself unconscious. Afterward, Lad no longer trusts strangers so easily and has become a true watchdog.
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