Timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the much-loved Footrot Flats cartoon strip, Upstart Press presents a beautifully illustrated calendar to commemorate the event. Murray Ball's cartoons remain the most read and most loved in Australasia.

Even though he has not drawn any of the Footrot characters for many years, his book sales are still incredible. His most recent book, a beautifully packaged collection of ‘Luv’ strips, was a runaway bestseller in New Zealand and Australia. Murray has given Upstart access to all his original colour art, ensuring the reproduction will be of the highest quality.

‘. . . the dog is one of my favourite characters of all time’ — Charles M. Schultz

28.5cm x 33.5cm (landscape), colour artwork throughout.

Murray Ball was born in Feilding in the Manawatu. He worked on the Manawatu Times and the Dominion, then as a freelance cartoonist in the United Kingdom. His most successful cartoon strips were the caveman ‘Stanley’ which appeared in Punch and the colonial ruffian ‘Bruce the Barbarian’ in the Labour Weekly. Murray Ball returned to New Zealand in 1974 and produced his best-known cartoon strip, ‘Footrot Flats’. Murray lives in rural Gisborne with his wife Pam and three dogs.