Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Is "Warhorse" an 80 year belated film tie-in?








The movie Warhorse may not be for everyone. For some, there will be not enough blood and guts on the battle field; for others, there may be too many tear-jerking moments. For me, this was a hugely spooky experience; the plot had so many parallels with one of my most precious of my childhood reads, My Horse Warrior.

As an aside, I remember the flaming I got for belittling the prose style of some of the writings of the Horse Story genre in modern Children's Literature. I was told (amongst many other things) I didn't understand the bond between adolescent girls and horses. Pfft! This is the person who nearly dropped out of university because I completed a Diploma of Riding Instruction before I finished my science degree. I wanted to be a riding instructor more than a geologist. Long story. I ended up doing a few years of both, together with some other stuff that isn't related in any way to Librarianship.

Anyways, I still have my first edition My Friend Flicker. And also my beloved book My Horse Warrior; written by Lord Mottistone (General Jack Seely) and published in London in 1938 by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. Illustrations by Mr A.J. Munnings, R.A. Sadly, I don't have the first edition (yet), but a 1938 reprint.

Those of you who have seen the movie will note the similarities to the scanned images above. Even the countryside in the sketch above is almost identical to the locales used in the movie. The sample page from the forward pretty well sets the scene for much of the book.

My copy is a little water stained on the spine, which shouldn't worry anyone but me because it isn't for sale. Enjoy the movie if you haven't already seen it. I'm going back for a second look - but more particularly at the credits.

3 comments:

  1. How much do you think a first edition would cost for My Horse Warrior?

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  2. That depends on a lot of variables, like the condition of the book, if it has been signed by the author, how many are still in circulation, etc. The best person to ask would be an antiquarian book dealer. Or maybe check on the 'net.

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    1. I am Charles from Southampton England and I have a first edition with a dedication written by Young Jim to Donald possibly Donald Sturdy cookesofcadnam@btinternet.com

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