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 (TV series) in 1996, starring Linda Purl and Chris Noth. Joy and George Adamson do not appear as the main characters in the story. Guest stars included Peter Lawford, Barbara Parkins, Alex Cord, Susan Dey. Juliet Mills had a recurring role as Dr. Claire Hanley. "Born Free" was scheduled opposite ABC's Top 20 hit "The Rookies" and CBS's Top 30 hit "Gunsmoke". Rating for the series were low and it was canceled in the middle of the 1974-75 television season after thirteen episodes. The series was set in Kenya and filmed in East Africa. The series "Born Free" was released in DVD