The Fox and the Hound (book)

The Fox and the Hound is a 1967 book by Daniel Pratt Mannix IV. It is about the lives of two canines, a hound dog named Copper and a red fox named Tod. The book is Mannix's best-known work, and was later made into a movie of the same name from Walt Disney Productions.

The Fox and the Hound
AuthorDaniel P. Mannix
IllustratorJohn Schoenherr
CountryUnited States, Canada
LanguageEnglish
PublishedSeptember 11, 1967 (1967-09-11) (E.P. Dutton)
Media typePrint (hardcover)
OCLC2047816

The Story

The book follows Tod from his first contact with humans as a kit and Copper from his first encounter with Tod. They are living in a changing world; the wilderness present at the beginning of the book gradually gives way to a more urbanized setting, causing problems for Copper, his Master, and Tod.

It changes between Tod and Copper's point of view. Of the ten chapters in the book, four are from Copper's point of view and six are from Tod's. Both of the animals are presented as smart if not on a level with humans, and the book constantly emphasizes the point that both are creatures who rely on their sense of smell as much as humans rely on sight, particularly Copper.

Copper's chapters focus on his relationship with the Master as he assists him in hunting, mostly for Tod, who killed the Master's new dog, Chief, earlier in the book. Tod's chapters focus on his life as a wild fox, avoiding death both natural and man-made while attempting to father kits.