Mary O'Hara (1885-1980)

A well-loved American author best known for the immensely popular and timeless books about Ken and his horses.

She was born in 1885 in New Jersey. After her first marriage broke up she worked as a screenwriter in the early days of Hollywood silent films. She then married a horse-loving Swede and they moved to Wyoming, buying a ranch and horses. It was at this time she wrote the bestselling Flicka and Thunderhead stories, also set on a ranch in Wyoming and doubtless influenced by her experience of ranch life.

Mary O'Hara also wrote a few other non-horse books and an autobiography. She was in addition a talented musician and composer and also wrote a musical play called The Catch Colt (see below).

The stories of Flicka and Thunderhead have been adapted into a number of films and TV shows (see below).
to find out more about them.

Flicka and Thunderhead Series:
Mary was best known for her immensely popular Flicka and Thunderhead series which incorporates a huge range of topics from wild horses to training to racing to romance! The series centres around a boy named Ken McLaughlin and the family ranch and surrounding countryside in Wyoming.

1) MY FRIEND FLICKA
(LIPPINCOTT 1941)
1ST UK ED EYRE & SPOTTISWOODE 1943
Reprinted many times in hardback and paperback.
Originally serialized in "Story" magazine's January & February 1941 issues.
A film version starring Roddy McDowell as "Ken" was made  in 1943 and  was also the basis of a 1957 TV series.
It has also recently been turned into a film but "Ken" has had a sex-change and is now "Katie!"
SUMMARY: A Classic pony story about a boy's love for a mare named Flicka. Ken is a bit of a daydreamer and a constant source of worry to his practical father. But through his devotion to a horse Ken learns to grow up.

2) THIUNDERHEAD
(LIPPINCOTT 1943)
1ST UK ED EYRE & SPOTTISWOODE 1945?
Reprinted many times in hardback and paperback.
Also made into a film in 1945 entitled Thunderhead, Son of Flicka, also starring Roddy MacDowell
SUMMARY: Second in series. Ken wants to train Flicka's son Thunderhead to become a racehorse but things are never that easy in the world of pony books...


3) GREEN GRASS OF WYOMING
(LIPPINCOTT 1946)
1ST UK ED EYRE & SPOTTISWOODE?
Reprinted many times in hardback and paperback.
Like the other books in the series was also made into a movie.
SUMMARY: Ken is now almost grown up and falls in love. Will his new romance threaten his attempt to win an important trotting race?

Collectors Info:
My Friend Flicka is very scarce & expensive in the first (USA) edition which is NOT illustrated and is priced $2.50. First UK editions are much more common.
All the first USA editions of the entire series are rare, but the UK first editions and hardback reprints are a lot lower priced and not too hard to come by. All the books have been reprinted many times both in hard and softback. The paperback Armada editions are the easiest to find. In these the stories were split up into parts, two parts in the case of Flicka and three parts for the other two books. If you collected the whole series in this form you would therefore have 8 books!

Other Pony Books:

THE CATCH COLT
( DRAMATIST'S PLAY SERVICE 1964 AS PLAY VERSION)
1ST UK ED METHUEN 1979
Reprinted in paperback.
SUMMARY: Not really a pony story in the true sense, this is a love story about two young people set against the backdrop of ranching, and also the story of someone seeking their true identity For older teenagers and adults.

Collectors Info:
Originally a musical play, was later adapted into a novel. The paperback edition of the novel is the easiest copy to come across but is a bit harder to find than the Flicka series.