Joy Adamson to a number of publishers before it was bought by Harvill Press, part of HarperCollins. Published in 1960, it became a bestseller, spending 13 weeks at the top of "The New York Times" Best Seller list and nearly a year on the chart overall. The success of the book was due to both the story of Elsa and the dozens of photographs of her. Readers had pictures of many of the events of Elsa's life leading up to her release. Subsequent books were also heavily illustrated. "Born Free" received largely favorable reviews from critics. Adamson worked closely with publishers to
Born Free (Matt Monro song) a corporate sponsor of the Born Free Foundation. and their vehicles having been mentioned prominently in the original Joy Adamson book. In November 2012 Queen guitarist Brian May and West End and Broadway singer Kerry Ellis released their version of "Born Free" in aid of the Born Free Foundation. The 2012 video game features the song which can be heard throughout on gramophones. The significance of "Born Free" is in relation to the game's theme of prison and captivity. In 2018 Born Free was used in a UK television commercial for Cow & Gate’s Follow on Milk. Born Free (Matt