To mark the centenary of Elyne Mitchell's life and classic Silver Brumby series, a few new books have been released and all are wonderful.

The first is a four book bind-up of classic Silver Brumby books. The SILVER BRUMBY CENTENARY EDITION includes The Silver Brumby, Silver Brumby's Daughter, Silver Brumbies of the South and Silver Brumby Kingdom. A terrific book for all ages to read and as these books are currently out of print, it's a great way for new fans to be introduced to this wonderful series.

The second book ON THE TRAIL OF THE SILVER BRUMBY by Elyne Mitchell, is a collection of non-fiction stories of Elyne Mitchell's own life in the High Country, lavishly illustrated with archival images and glorious new photography of the Alps by her grandson, James Auchinleck, and others.

The final new release is ELYNE MITCHELL: A DAUGHTER REMEMBERS written by her daughter, Honor Auchinleck. It tells the story of the exceptional woman, and mother, behind the mask of the famous author. Elyne Mitchell had a fascinating life and not nearly as perfect as idyllic as the world believed.

For collectors, I've also stumbled across that most illusive of the Silver Brumby Books, Brumbies of the NIght. It's a killer of a volume to find, and incredibly expensive in rare bookshops throughout the world. Snap it up while you can, as it may not be around for long.

And don't forget the first edition hardback copy of THE SILVER BRUMBY'S DAUGHTER is also now available. All the hardback Silver Brumby books are now becoming very hard to find, so I was pleased to stumble across this copy.

I have been searching for a good cause to sponsor for some time now, and have finally found a truly worthy team in PRINCE FLUFFY KAREEM, Cairo. There are so many people doing outstanding animal rescue work throughout the world, and I can't give these people enough credit, but Marte, Sharif and their band of helpers at PFK really do stand out in the crowd.

Based on the outskirts of the pyramids in Cairo, these modern day equine heroes spend all their time and money in rescuing and treating the many horses, donkeys and camels that are used as hire animals which take tourists out to the pyramids. Due to the recent unrest in Egypt, a lot of tourists are now avoiding the region. This means less work for the tour operators and consequently no money for fodder and animal care.

THESE CASES ARE TRULY HORRIFIC AND THE PHOTOS ARE VERY GRAPHIC, SO PLEASE BE WARNED BEFORE YOU HEAD ACROSS TO LOOK AT THE WEBSITE OR FACEBOOK PAGE.

What I feel is so special about the PRINCE FLUFFY KAREEM team is that although they deal with these absolute horrors day in and day out, they remain very balanced and honest in their appraisal of the situation and in their ability to help. Remember, this is not a happy, wealthy western country where there are animal rights laws, education and welfare. These people live in a war-torn country, many of whom struggle to feed themselves and their families. The sad truth of the matter is that the welfare of animals is of the lowest of priorities. The PFK TEAM aim not only to make the lives of these animals more tolerable, but also in educating and helping the families of Cairo.

Equitainment will be supporting this team as much as possible, but please consider also making a personal donation.

A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY REALLY CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE TO THE LIFE OF ONE OF THESE ANIMALS.

The ways to donate are on both the PRINCE FLUFFY KAREEM WEBSITE and the PRINCE FLUFFY KAREEM FACEBOOK PAGES.

It's taken a while, but finally some books have been released on the life of the mighty Black Caviar. So far there are three, and I assume there will be more in the future. Still no sign of a documentary yet, but I'm sure one will appear eventually.

The first is a hardback book, most suitable for hard core fans. It's an authorised biography of her life, meaning it was written in conjunction with her connections, so it's probably also the most accurate. BLACK CAVIAR: THE HORSE OF A LIFETIME by GERALD WHATLEY
ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO BOOK

The second book is an unauthorised book, but is still a a great read. It has a heap of photo's, and a well written overview of her life so far. A lovely choice for fans, but perhaps not fanatics. THE STORY OF BLACK CAVIAR by ANDREW EDDY

The third book is not due for release until the 1st November. I haven't seen this one yet, but it is a hardcover and appears to be in a lovely gift book format. I've put it up on the website for you to have a look at and pre-order if you're interested. BLACK CAVIAR: THE HORSE THAT TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF A NATION

I found some of these lovely books a few months ago and they were so popular, they disappeared in a matter of hours. Luckily I've found some more but grab them fast ... first in, best dressed.

There are a few absolute rippers by Banjo Paterson. The first is a picture book version of THE GEEBUNG POLO CLUB. Published in 1984, it's quite a rare book and as far as I could find, this poem hasn't been re-produced in a picture book format since this time. The artwork is my Ninon Phillips and is just stunning. Really modern and fun, it's a perfect compliment to the humour of the poem.

The second book, ILLALONG CHILDREN, was written by Banjo late in his life for his own grand-children. It tells stories of his own early childhood years growing up in rural Australia, around about 1875. It too is beautifully illustrated this time with whimsical watercolours by Robert Lovett.

I also have a nice copy of BANJO PATERSON'S A CHILDREN'S TREASURY which is a combination of bush ballards and storys. I haven't seen this one before, but it is a beauty featuring stunning colour illustrations by Dee Huxley.

CONSTANTINE THE GREAT is also a lovely story written by Banjo Paterson and one I have in my own library. Written especially with children in mind, it's the wonderful story of a old stock horse who saves the day when a bush fire threatens.

Finally, I have another picture book I haven't seen before, THE TEAMS by HENRY LAWSON and illustrated by John Anthony King. A lovely bush ballad of an old teamster with his much-loved oxen.

I know there are so many Mary Grant Bruce fans out there, and I've just received a new load of books to tempt collectors. Here are a few of the most notable, but if you type MARY GRANT BRUCE in the author's name in the search box on the home page, everything I have will be listed.

NORAH OF BILLABONG is the third book in the series and for some reason, is a rare title. If you are collecting the 1996 Bluegum Classics binding then this is a real find. They are extremely hard to find anywhere in the world for under $200, so this copy is well worth grabbing at this price.

I've also found a couple of Book 14, Son of Billabong, which is also a more difficult title to find. There are two versions in stock, the 1981 Ward Lock hardback edition and the later 1993 Angus and Roberston edition.

There are quite a few of the other titles available too, so please check the website for more details.