Mario Puzo (1920-1999)

Well known American author and screenwriter. Born in New York City, of Italian descent. Her served in the Second World War, afterwards working as a journalist and editor and eventually as a writer. Best known for his best selling books about the Mafia including The Godfather which was made into the cult film, for which he also wrote the screenplay.

Perhaps not someone you would associate with pony books! He did however write a children's pony story which is a slightly bizarre picaresque adventure about a boy travelling through America with a very odd horse.

Pony Books:

THE RUNAWAY SUMMER OF DAVIE SHAW
(PLATT & MONK [USA] 1966)
ILLUSTRATED BY STEWART SHERWOOD
(1st UK edition WORLD'S WORK 1976)
Reprinted in paperback by Puffin.
UK edition published in 1966.
Also French and Spanish editions.
SUMMARY: Davie is supposed to be staying with his uncle and grandparents whilst his parents are away on a round the world cruise, but they are not very efficient and make a mess of the arrangements! When Davie arrives there, his grandparents aren't expecting him and his uncle is leaving. He decides to set off across America to eventually meet his parents coming off their cruise. With him travels Mustang, his uncle's pony, who will only let sick or injured people ride him! The pair embark on a number of bizarre adventures as they travel across the country.
MINI REVIEW:
About as far removed from The Godfather as you can get! Nor is it a traditional pony story, being slightly surreal with a slight feel of Roald Dahl about it, although unfortunately not as gripping as his books. The horse is an interesting and very quirky character. In summary a bit weird but readable.
PONYMAD RATING: 2 HORSESHOES

Collector's Info:
Not that easy to find in the USA or UK, with the Puffin edition probably being the easiest to come across. First editions can be expensive. The French language edition appears to be the cheapest.