On April 9, it will have been 90 years since Canadians captured Vimy Ridge, making it the only successful Allied offensive in 1917 and a significant tactical victory during the First World War.

It was also the first time Canadian soldiers fought as Canadians and not as part of another Allied force. Some believe it helped Canada to discover its pride in country.

Vimy's story is celebrated in a number of ways, including literature, and with only two surviving World War One veterans still alive in Canada, stories like Vimy Ridge will have to be recounted through novels.

Two Canadian authors have added two books, which are being launched in time for the anniversary, and Orangeville's BookLore is toasting their accomplishments.

At the Millcroft Inn on Sunday, March 25, there'll be an opportunity to meet Hugh Brewster, a local author who wrote At Vimy Ridge, a pictorial about the battle published by Scholastic Canada and intended for ages 8 and up.

A previous novel, similar in style, On Juno Beach, won the Children's Literature Roundtable of Canada Information Book Award in 2006.

Mr. Brewster, who calls Mulmur home on weekends, is pleased to be involved in the Vimy Ridge project and at knowing Canadian students will be traveling to Vimy Ridge for the anniversary celebration.

"It's a very powerful place," he said. "I am sure the students who go will have an amazing story to tell."

He says On Juno Beach, written in commemoration of the battle's 60th anniversary, helped children connect with their grandparents.

"I wanted a book that would appeal to all ages and to help Canadian kids find out about their own history."

He is hoping the novel, On Vimy Ridge, has a similar impact.

Ted Barris, an accomplished journalist, will be on hand to promote his latest novel Victory at Vimy, published by Thomas Allen Publishers, which was released about a month ago.

He says he wanted to write about Vimy because there wasn't enough stories told from the perspective of the men who did the "grunt" work.

"I wanted to hear the voice of the citizen soldier," he said. "It's an every man's story - these men, mostly from some other place, were farmers, lumberjacks, students and workers and they were fighting for the first time, as Canadians."

Fourteen other books preceded Victory at Vimy for Mr. Barris, including a trilogy on World War Two. In 2006, he was recognized by the 78th Fraser Highlanders media excellence award for his "contribution to the awareness and preservation of Canadian military history and traditions."

Unlike his previous books, the Vimy project didn't afford Mr. Barris the opportunity to speak to any veteran who was involved in the campaign. Instead, his research and first-hand accounts were derived from letters, diaries, unpublished memoirs and scribblings found.

One story, found scribbled in a field notebook, was about a farmhand whose job it was to tend to the horses at Vimy.

Mr. Barris said he learned that 50,000 horses were used in battle to haul 800 tons of equipment and essentials to the front lines daily.

"It's stories like this, told by citizen soldiers, that are missed in other stories written by generals and senior officials."

BookLore is hosting the dual book launch at the Millcroft in Alton on March 25 at 2 p.m.

For reservations, call BookLore at 519-942-3830.