The original series, comprising 14 novels, was published between 1949 and 1980, and chronicles the adventures of teenagers Hal and Roger Hunt as they travel the world collecting exotic and dangerous animals.
Hal is the typical hero: tall, handsome, and muscular, possessing an almost limitless knowledge of natural history and a caring and trusting disposition.
In the South Seas the brothers are accompanied by the World War II veteran skipper Captain Ike and his trusted crewman Omo.
The African safari team comprising Joro the tracker, Toto the gun bearer, Mali, and Zulu the German Shepherd dog had the most frequent appearances.
"[4] David Barnett, writing for The Guardian in 2010, praised the book series, writing that "Price not only knew all the right buttons to press to excite a young reader – exotic locations, nasty villains, wild animals and lashings of peril – but also managed to weave into his adventures a strong yet subtle conservation message.
[8] “If you read Willard Price," said Horowitz, "you'll find the chemical formula for an Alex Rider book: page-turning, lots of action, lots of activity, good strong characters.”[9] According to Richard Phillips, who studied the politics of the series, Willard Price acknowledges decolonisation in his writing, but does so through a "conventionally colonial lens": [10] "Dad’ explains why a man participates in the so-called Leopard Society, members of which dress and behave as those wild cats.