The puppetry work of Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones, the creators of the Handspring Puppet Company, has been lauded around the world, most spectacularly for their creation of the hugely successful  production War Horse, a story about a horse drafted into the army during World War I, in London. Now their work can be seen in a stunning new book published by David Krut Publishers, which was launched at Kalk Bay Books on 18 December.

The biggest response ever to an event at the shop, guests included many of SA theatre's top names including Janice Honeyman, Pieter Toerien, Grethe Fox and Mr Kumar senior, himself - Vincent Ebrahim. Wines for the evening were generously sponsored by Leopard's Leap. This sponsorship throughout the year has ensured book events have become a must-attend part of Cape Town's social calender, and is greatly appreciated by the hosts and the guests at these functions.

Olympia Deli provided the eats during the event, and also catered a party in conjuction with the Klipkantien on the bookshop/restaurant premises after the launch.

War Horse, based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, has enjoyed a hugely successful run at the National Theatre and now moves to the West End where advance ticket sales have topped £1.5 m. The runaway success of War Horse has been extremely gratifying to the creators Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones who have worked in puppet theatre in South Africa for over three decades, breaking boundaries not only in puppetry, but in theatre arts in general.

David Krut Publishing is delighted to announce the publication of a full-length book on Handspring, from the first of their adult productions Episodes of an Easter Rising (1985), through the critically acclaimed Woyzeck on the Highveld (1992 and 2008), to the rerun of Il Ritorno d’Ulisse, and now War Horse.

This gorgeous, full-colour book, designed by Ellen Papciak-Rose, is the first major publication on Handspring Puppet Company by a South African publisher. The essays on the work of this important company are supported by historical photographs of Handspring’s productions as well as beautiful details by photographer John Hodgkiss of many of the puppets made by puppet master Adrian Kohler.

The book is edited and introduced by the award-winning writer Jane Taylor, who has worked with Handspring on several important projects, and contains essays by rap poet and musician Lesego Rampolokeng, theatre critic Adrienne Sichel, artists William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx, as well as the founders of Handspring, Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler. These exciting texts provide critical insights from writers who have worked closely with Handspring over the years, and the contributions from Kohler and Jones are an astonishing analysis not only of the work of Handspring but of puppetry in general and its place in theatre. The passion expressed by Kohler and Jones for their art is deeply inspiring, and those interested in their techniques and their philosophical approach will find this book extremely satisfying.