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Farshore to celebrate 40 years of Morpurgo's War Horse with special edition
Farshore is to release an anniversary edition of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse this autumn, celebrating 40 years since the book was published.
The book will be released on 13th October, featuring a new cover from fine art photographer Nine Francois, with illustrations by war and reportage artist George Butler.
Its anniversary year from October 2022 to October 2023 will also include a tour by the former Children’s Laureate, which will see him appear at festivals and stand-alone events across the UK. The tour includes an abridged retelling of the story read by Morpurgo, accompanied by songs from the National Theatre production of "War Horse" sung by one of the production’s original song men Ben Murray.
The anniversary publishing will be supported by an exhibition and a range of educational and outreach activities, as well as a "major" marketing and PR campaign.
"War Horse is my wife Clare’s favourite and probably always will be," Morpurgo said. "That means a lot. I got seriously lucky with War Horse. Lucky that the publishers kindly kept it in print when it was selling only a few hundred copies, lucky that the director Tom Morris picked it up for the National Theatre production and made the most wonderful theatre production and lucky that Steven Spielberg came to call. It has been the most wonderful journey and after 40 years Joey still gallops on."
War Horse was first published in 1982, inspired by accounts told to the author by First World War veterans living in his village in Iddesleigh, Devon, and by witnessing first-hand the connection between animals and a young boy. It tells the story of Joey the horse and is set in the fields of Devon and trenches of the First World War.
The book went on to be made into a multi award-winning National Theatre stage production in 2007, which toured worldwide and has been seen by more than eight million people in 11 countries. It was subsequently adapted for the screen by by Steven Spielberg.
Cally Poplak, executive publisher at Farshore, said: "War Horse has been a feature of much of my career in children’s books. I give thanks to Michael for a remarkable story that remains all too relevant today; to Nine Francois and George Butler for a stunning new edition for these times; and to its original publisher, Rosemary Debnam, whom I was lucky enough to work with as a very young editor, for spotting the potential in a story that went on to become a multi-media phenomenon loved by so many worldwide."
