Murray Ball

Name: Murray Ball
Price: 35.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781775543237

A Cartoonists Life

Mason Ball

$35.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English

HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand)
28 July 2026

Drawing & drawings; Individual artists, art monographs; Comic book & cartoon art; Biography; Biography: arts & entertainment; Cartoons & comic strips

The bestselling biography of cartoonist Murray Ball, creator of Footrot Flats.

In Murray Ball: A Cartoonist's Life, Murray's son Mason Ball shares all the hits and misses and long years of hard graft that went into what would become the wildly successful creative enterprise: Footrot Flats. From his unique viewpoint and with candid honesty, Mason reveals the real-life backstory to Murray's most iconic characters and themes, telling the story of the man - and father - who could see the quirks of human nature and capture them with the stroke of a pen.

Richly illustrated with family photos and cartoons by the bloke who brought us that most lovable character, the Dog.

Let me show you how my dad became a leading cartoonist of his generation, how his endearing characters evolved and where the insightful and humorous ideas sprang from. Let's see the man behind the drawing desk and delve into the workings of his mind. - Mason Ball

By: Mason Ball
Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand)
Country of Publication: New Zealand
ISBN: 9781775543237
ISBN 10: 1775543234
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 28 July 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Mason Ball was born in 1966 and grew up in Gisborne on the farm that would inspire some of New Zealand's most beloved and iconic comic strips. He has worked as a journalist, audio sub-editor and English language teacher. He lives with his wife, Kuniko, and their three children in Wellington, where he enjoys painting, collage and jazz.