Krygsperd by Michael Morpurgo

Krygsperd (Afrikaans Edition of Morpurgo's War Horse)

The Afrikaans translation of Michael Morpurgo's much-loved First World War story of a boy and his horse

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Krygsperd
• Author: Michael Morpurgo
• Publisher: Protea Boekhuis, Pretoria
• Publication Date: 2012
• ISBN-13: 9781869197650
• Edition Details: Eerste Afrikaanse uitgawe (First Afrikaans Edition), as printed. Translated into Afrikaans from the English original, War Horse.
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated card wrappers, perfect bound. Black spine with printed title, author and publisher.
• Physical Format: Medium softcover. Text only, without maps or plates.
• Language: Afrikaans

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Wraps: Picture-cover wrappers with general light wear and some edge rubbing to the front cover. The top corner is slightly rounded. The black spine is lettered with title, author and publisher. A dark smudge or patch of residue sits beside the barcode on the back cover, possibly where a price sticker was once removed.
• Interior: The text pages are clean and legible and the binding appears tight. The fore-edge shows light toning, with a small red mark on one page. There is a small crease to the top corner of the title leaf. No foxing seen.
• Provenance: Handwritten ownership name in black ink at the top of the half-title page: "Cobus Joubert". A previous owner's inscription; the book is not signed by the author.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Krygsperd is the Afrikaans translation of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse, published by Protea Boekhuis in Pretoria in 2012 in a translation by Kobus Geldenhuys. The story follows Joey, a horse bought by the army for service in France during the First World War, and the efforts of Albert, the teenage boy who raised him, to bring him safely home.

The back cover describes a moving story of one of the most sincere friendships, set in one of the most inhumane of wars. Morpurgo's novel later reached a far wider audience through the stage play at the National Theatre in London and Steven Spielberg's feature film.

This is a collectible used copy for readers of Afrikaans children's and young adult literature, and for those who follow the story of the First World War through the eyes of the animals who served in it.

Author Profile: Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, as Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo. He is a British author, poet, playwright and librettist, best known for his children's books. He spent about ten years as a primary school teacher in Kent, and with his wife Clare founded the charity Farms for City Children.

He served as Children's Laureate from 2003 to 2005 and has more than 100 books to his name. Among them are Private Peaceful, which won the 2005 Red House Children's Book Award and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award, and Farm Boy, a sequel to War Horse.