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Черный Красавчик

Anna Sewell,

Анна Сьюэлл

3.96 · Rating details · 246,657 ratings · 5,089 reviews

Произведение написано в форме автобиографии лошади. По мотивам этой повести в Англии создан известный телесериал "Приключения Черного Красавчика", показанный Государственной телекомпанией "Останкино" в 1992-1993 годах. ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published 1993 by Гея (first published November 24th 1877)

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Nov 18, 2015 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century, animals, fiction, classics, childrens-young-readers, literature, historical

Black Beauty, Anna Sewell

Black Beauty is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she remained in her house as an invalid. The novel became an immediate best-seller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, but having lived long enough to see her only novel become a success. With fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time.

The story is narrated in the first person as an autob ...more

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Sep 05, 2016 James rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-written-pre-20th-century, 1-fiction

Review
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is a beautiful story meant for older children or very young adults. It was written in the 19th century by a woman who passed away shortly after its publication. I enjoyed the story and have given it a 3 of 5 stars, which is still very good in my book.

A few interesting things:

1. The point of view in the book is from Black Beauty, the horse.
2. It takes place in London nearly 150 years ago.
3. It's still a cherished story for both pleasure reading and ed ...more

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Aug 03, 2007 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favoritechildhoodstories

This is the first book I ever read. I remember the day that I brought it in to show to my teacher, Miss Gerardi. She asked me if I could read it, so I started reading it aloud to her right away.

The story is told in Black Beauty's own words. Beauty's friends are hard to forget, especially high-spirited Ginger. Anna Sewall's words are full of loving empathy for these beautiful animals. The story was set in 19th century England, at a time when almost everyone came into frequent contact with horses ...more

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Sep 17, 2018 Dem rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, recommended

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

I had never actually owned a copy of this wonderful classic until very recently when I spotted this one well worn and loved in a house clear out of a relative and when I was asked if there was anything I would like to take as a memento I was so happy to give a home to this stunning book. Black Beauty was always out on loan from my school library and as a child I remembering cons ...more

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Apr 20, 2014 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: childrens, classics, read-2016, animals

"My doctrine is this, that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt.".

BLACK BEAUTY, with the help of some of her friends and acquaintances, narrates her own life story in this absolute gem of a children's classic. I've always loved the beauty and grace of horses, but now have an even greater respect and appreciation for them......and their needs.

A few heartbreaking stories are told here, but the positive, encouraging messag

...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Robin Hobb rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Thoughtful children and yes, adults.

This was one of my very first 'horse' books. I read it when I was nine or ten, and it left a deep impression on me.

Told from the viewpoint of the horse, it starts with Beauty's gentle upbringing and careful training. Well cared for and well mannered, Beauty is a valued animal with a good life at first. But a mishap or two is all it takes for Black Beauty to begin a downward spiral into a world where the appearance of an animal matters far more than its comfort, and into the depths where the onl ...more

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Oct 09, 2016 Sidharth Vardhan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children-books, non-fiction, 3-english-world, woman-authors, list-501, list-guardian-1000, bestest

Okay it had started as a review but it ended up becoming something totally different. It is rather dark, you have been warned.

"In Defense of Cannibalism"

"I think the story starts when, as a kid, I was a neighbor of this family of slaughterers for a short while and, though they did their work within walls of their house, still sitting inside our home, we could hear the cries of goats, full of pain, as they were being slaughtered. These cries would go on for several minutes. It was unbearable for ...more

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Dec 26, 2007 Melody rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I revisited this classic horse story not knowing what to expect, really. I have found that I can't really trust my childhood memories. In this case, however, the years made no difference. The odd thing I noticed while reading this book was how completely I'd internalized the messages regarding animals and how one should treat them. I know that I must have read this 20 or 30 times before I was 14, but I didn't realize that I was memorizing whole chunks of it and grafting it into my moral code. It ...more

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Jun 20, 2019 Kerri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: most-loved

I think this was my first 'favourite book'.

I've read it over and over again, and I still cry every single time, at so many different points. It's such a beautiful book and I always feel it so deeply. The way some people treat animals (and each other) can be appalling. On the other hand, some people can be incredibly wonderful, the kind of person we all should want to be, and hopefully know (this applies to both the book and life in general of course). Black Beauty's life has a great many ups and ...more

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Sep 23, 2019 Britany rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, audiobook, classics, young-adult

This was my favorite book growing up as a child. I was obsessed with horses and living in a barn. Black Beauty was the ultimate fan-girl horse book and I ate it up as a little girl. Revisiting this as an adult was equally impactful.

I teared up multiple times as I re-lived Beauty and the slew of his bad owners, his poor knees and despite it all his good, tender heart. This is my favorite animal character in any book and Beauty still has a beloved space that I'll cherish in my soul. This book sti ...more

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Dec 06, 2009 Manybooks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horse-stories, classics, history, abuse, book-reviews, favourites-read, childrens-literature

Anna Sewell's evocative, poignant and yes, often devastatingly brutal autobiography of a horse, her 1877 Black Beauty, is a novel which even though I very much and dearly cherish and appreciate (and consider it even a personal favourite), I am also glad to have first read as an adult, and NOT as a child. For with horses being amongst my favourite animals, particularly Black Beauty's many many trials and tribulations, his often neglectful and at times even deliberately cruelly abusive grooms and Anna Sewell's evocative, poignant and yes, often devastatingly brutal autobiography of a horse, her 1877 Black Beauty, is a novel which even though I very much and dearly cherish and appreciate (and consider it even a personal favourite), I am also glad to have first read as an adult, and NOT as a child. For with horses being amongst my favourite animals, particularly Black Beauty's many many trials and tribulations, his often neglectful and at times even deliberately cruelly abusive grooms and owners, the fact that there are also horses depicted who succumb, who perish due to abuse and neglect (with poor Ginger's suffering and death being especially sad, heartbreaking and infuriating), all this would have likely been much much too saddening for my sensitive childhood self (and indeed, I would thus not automatically recommend Black Beauty for younger children, and would also strongly encourage parents and caregivers to pre-read the novel, to check if the subject matter could perhaps not be too much for very sensitive children, and especially children who are ethical vegetarians or vegans).

But as an adult (and I first read Black Beauty at around age twenty or so), I can not only appreciate both Beauty's life story, but also (and perhaps even more so) the historical fact that Anna Sewell's masterpiece (written with pathos, understanding, humanity, but also with gentleness and tenderness) actually did have a profound and socially relevant effect in so far that particularly in Great Britain, there was a deliberate move started to make life easier and less strenuous, less harsh for especially work and carriage horses (the eventual banning of the bearing reign which caused horses' heads to basically be yanked into a permanently unnaturally high position, and the even more horrid docking, cutting of horses' tails were two of the most well-known and necessary changes brought about partially due to the popularity of Black Beauty and the public outcry its publication engendered).

Now Black Beauty is in many ways a narrator who thinks and feels as a human being, albeit he is also not ever a typical anthropomorphic human-like entity, as he cannot speak, and still looks, moves and acts like a typical horse. And this is actually the case with most of the other horse characters described in Black Beauty, as Ginger, Merrylegs, even Beauty's own mother all think and emote as humans would, with their thoughts and musings presented by Anna Sewell, but always they do act and react like typical horses, not like horses in a humanoid costume, a for me profound and appreciated consideration, as I have never truly enjoyed very anthropomorphic animals all that much, especially if they act not according to their nature, but according to how humans would act and react (thus, if Black Beauty were to have actually spoken aloud, if he had been depicted as a quasi talking horse, I would definitely not have enjoyed his story quite as much).

And considering that Anna Sewell was an invalid since an accident at age fourteen, and often confined to her bed (in almost constant, often excruciating pain for most of her adult life, she died soon after Black Beauty's publication), the themes and also the writing style are exquisite and nuanced, balanced, showing not only Black Beauty's trials and tribulations, but also equally demonstrating tenderness, joy and much happiness (Beauty's life with his mother and original aristocratic owners, even his first sojourn as a London cab horse are happy, the latter being a rather hard working existence perhaps, but with a kind and thoughtful owner/driver who as much as possible strives to ease the often difficult conditions Beauty faces, until he himself falls ill due to thoughtless aristocratic customers keeping the carriage waiting in the pelting rain and snow, as they arrogantly enjoy society's extravagances). And while Anna Sewell's masterpiece does, indeed, hold very clear and powerful pleas for a change in attitudes towards horses, towards poverty, it is nevertheless Black Beauty's own story that shines through (Black Beauty is thus not simply preachiness, and while the messages are obvious and thankfully strongly and impassionately presented, the plot, the themes, the tale itself always comes first and is as readable and as approachable today as it was in the late 19th century, when it was first published). ...more

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Oct 30, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I'm sorry, I read this book when I was 6 or 7 and it almost scarred me for life..the sight of Ginger's body being carted away stayed with me for years. Between this, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Yearling, and of course Old Yeller I have to assume that somewhere there is a Marquis de Sade school of children's literature. I never gave these to my children as they were growing up (they had to make do with Narnia, Charlie Bucket, and some others). Neither the books nor the movies did I take them to ...more

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Oct 24, 2008 Christine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, minority-and-women-writers, horse-fiction, literature-english

Black Beauty is one of those rare books that can preach without being preachy. Anna Sewell wrote this to illustrate the abuse of horses, in particulary the harsh use of the bearing rein. The bearing rein was used to get the horse's head arched, but made it difficult for the horse to breathe and near impossible for the horse to pull a carriage uphill. When Sewell died, the hearse to carry her body used horses with bearing reins. Her mother went out and made the driver get rid of them.

Another Sewe ...more

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Jul 11, 2013 Debbie Zapata rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: saturdaymx

Do not be expecting an objective review here. I have loved this book since a copy was given to me at the end of my sixth grade school year and have read it so many times I practically know it by heart. And as a matter of fact, I still have that very book! Here is the GR link for it, which did not take me nearly as long to find as I thought it might (there are nearly 800 editions of Black Beauty listed).
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

The story follows Black Beauty from his days as a foa Do not be expecting an objective review here. I have loved this book since a copy was given to me at the end of my sixth grade school year and have read it so many times I practically know it by heart. And as a matter of fact, I still have that very book! Here is the GR link for it, which did not take me nearly as long to find as I thought it might (there are nearly 800 editions of Black Beauty listed).
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

The story follows Black Beauty from his days as a foal through training, happy times, sad days, and many unexpected changes in both living and working conditions. We meet the people around him: good ones like John Manly and Jerry Barker, and bad ones like Lady W---. We get to know his friends: Merrylegs the pony, Ginger the high-spirited chestnut mare, Captain the ex-cavalry horse who survived what my adult self recognizes as the Charge Of The Light Brigade in the Crimean war.

Throughout the book we witness the cruel treatment many horses received during Black Beauty's day. As frightening as city streets can be in modern times, with drivers of all skill levels behind the wheels of cars of all shapes and sizes, the London streets of the past would have been much much worse. Cars at least don't think for themselves. But imagine the horses! Being told what to do and where to go, but still with their own brains at work. If one got scared, it could trigger a catastrophe all around.

This book was meant to show the inhumane treatment of horses, and to suggest better ways to behave. I have read a few copycat books written not long after Black Beauty was published, but this is the only one that gets the point across without being annoyingly preachy or interrupting the flow of the story. I thought Sewell's methods were quite effective.

Black Beauty was my dream horse when I was younger, as I am sure he will be for many girls for years to come. It would be poetic for me to say that I thought of this book when I began working with horses myself, and remembered to use Sewell's gentle and friendly approach. But I loved any and all horses so much that it never would have occurred to me to behave any other way. ...more

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Jan 23, 2015 Sara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, catching-up-classics

A timeless story that should be required reading for everyone, whatever the age. When this book was written, horses were used for every kind of pleasure and work, and were part of most upper class households. Many thought of them the way we think of cars, vehicles there for our use and disposable when they no longer meet our requirements. These, however, are sentient creatures, with needs and feelings, and Sewell wrote a moving and informative piece in their behalf.

Who would not fall in love wit ...more

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Aug 28, 2007 Lisa (not getting friends updates) Vegan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone who loves horses or well written children's literature

Shelves: fiction, childrens, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, zz-3star, nature, uk, novel, z1962, reviewed, historical-fiction

This book probably deserves 5 stars or at least 4, and I do recommend it to everyone, especially to girls who love horses. I’m giving it only 3 stars, however, not because I wasn’t one of those girls who were big horse fans (which I wasn’t really), but because for me it was just too emotionally harrowing. This might have been the first book I ever read that made me sick with depression. The horse goes through a lot of suffering in this book. Not for the overly sensitive but a beautifully told st ...more

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Jul 31, 2017 AMEERA added it · review of another edition

DNF 50%
i love horses but sorry i can't ...more

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May 06, 2020 ¸¸.•*¨*•♫ Mrs. Buttercup •*¨*•♫♪ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, owned

“I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways; do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick even in play.”

This book was such a pleasant surprise! I did not expect it to be such a page-turner. With its short, straight-to-the-point chapters; the didactic yet never preachy writing style, the clean prose, and the beautiful characters, it made an amazing quick read that will definitely stay in my mind for quite some time. According ...more

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Dec 21, 2013 Duane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-books, rated-books, childrens, guardian-1000

Very cute story and who wouldn't enjoy a story told from point of view of a horse. It brings animal abuse to the light of day which is a good thing. ...more

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Jan 28, 2017 Piyangie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children-young-adult, brittish-lit

Black beauty is one of the most sensitive and heartfelt animal stories I have read. Being an autobiography of a horse, Black Beauty exposes the suffering of horses due to the thoughtless and cruel conduct of humans and advocates the need for their overall welfare. It is said that what inspired Anna to write the only book she ever wrote was to create social awareness of the suffering of horses and to induce to treat them with kindness, compassion and understanding.

Although the story is focused o Black beauty is one of the most sensitive and heartfelt animal stories I have read. Being an autobiography of a horse, Black Beauty exposes the suffering of horses due to the thoughtless and cruel conduct of humans and advocates the need for their overall welfare. It is said that what inspired Anna to write the only book she ever wrote was to create social awareness of the suffering of horses and to induce to treat them with kindness, compassion and understanding.

Although the story is focused on horses, it teaches the world in general the need to be kind, considerate and sympathetic toward all animals. I read this story for the first time when I was about nine. I remember being heartbroken and unhappy for days, for I was a very sensitive child. I’ve heard that some say this book is unsuitable for children as it unsettle their mind. I’m no psychologist and cannot account for its truth, but I think this should be read by children. Kindness, compassion, sympathy towards all beings is qualities that we have to cultivate in children’s mind from an early age. The best mode to instill those qualities in children is to show how other beings suffer in their absence.

Written of the world as seen through the eye of a horse, the story creates a certain sense of shame. Humans as an intelligent species to have treated their inferior beings in the manner described in this story are quite shocking. I’m inclined to think that in modern time we do treat animals far better.

The story is beautifully written. From the first chapter the reader is drawn in to the life of black beauty. It is amazing how strongly the readers get attached to the main character and narrator, black beauty that when he suffers, our heart breaks and when he is happy and content, our hearts are overjoyed. The simple and sensitive presentation and the truthful and sincere story line are extremely touching. I enjoyed the read very much, perhaps more so the second time around. My revisit of this beautiful classic was due to a goodreads challenge that I have taken, and I'm really glad to have done so. ...more

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May 13, 2018 Merphy Napier rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: four-stars, classics

I'm not sure this is a book I would rave about, but it is one I'm happy to have read. While I wasn't a fan of reading from the horses perspectives, it served it purpose and by the end I was really feeling for them. I learned a lot and I'll be thinking about this for a long time. ...more

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Dec 04, 2019 Jenny Baker rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, classics, audiobooks, childrens

I remember owning this book as a child. It's nice to revisit childhood classics and enjoying them just as much as an adult. ...more

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Feb 13, 2008 Werner rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of 19th century fiction; kids with good reading skills

Shelves: classics, books-i-own

Note, Oct. 13, 2015: The review below is premised on the idea that this is a children's book; it's typically treated as such today, and I did read it as a kid. But my fellow Goodreader Fiona just made me aware that Sewall actually intended the novel for adult readers. This should be kept in mind in approaching and interpreting it!
**********************************

Since this is basically a children's book, my rating is based on my reaction to it as a child reader. If I re-read it now and rated i Note, Oct. 13, 2015: The review below is premised on the idea that this is a children's book; it's typically treated as such today, and I did read it as a kid. But my fellow Goodreader Fiona just made me aware that Sewall actually intended the novel for adult readers. This should be kept in mind in approaching and interpreting it!
**********************************

Since this is basically a children's book, my rating is based on my reaction to it as a child reader. If I re-read it now and rated it as adult fiction, probably the rating wouldn't be as high; and it's also the case that the book wouldn't be as easily read or understood by modern kids as it was by their Victorian counterparts. Only the more motivated and better readers in that age group would be apt to give it 4 stars today.

This "Autobiography of a Horse" narrates an equine life running pretty much the gamut of possible horse experiences (except for cavalry service) in the 19th century, many of them decidedly unpleasant. Sewall's message is a forceful and entirely justified plea for decent and humane treatment of the animals whose well-being is so dependent on us. The book is well-written (being intended for younger readers, its prose is more direct and straightforward than that of much Victorian adult fiction); its human and animal characters are vividly-drawn individuals, the pacing is brisk, and it has a satisfying, full-circle kind of plot. To maintain her conceit of a horse narrator, of course (and to do so for an audience too young to respond to the drastically different style of thinking and narrating that would actually be expected from an animal if it could speak), the author makes her horses much more intelligent and anthropomorphic, and much more capable of verbal communication with each other, than they probably really are. Black Beauty, Ginger, and Merrylegs come across essentially as humans in horse bodies. This makes it easier for kids to identify with them, and to see them as entitled to kind treatment; but it arguably sets that conclusion up for refutation and rejection once the readers realize that this picture of horses isn't accurate. Possibly it might be better not to make the case for decent treatment of animals depend on an anthropomorphic view of them, but rather on the fact that they do have feelings and needs which it diminishes us to ignore and deny. It's also true that children who have no experience at all of horses being used as draft animals might find the issues posed here hard to understand or relate to. But for kids --and adult readers-- who can understand the underlying concept, this book has all sorts of modern-day applications to issues, such as factory-style farming, pet neglect, use (or abuse) of animals for "research" purposes, etc. ...more

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Sep 09, 2017 Barry Cunningham rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read this book in my very early teens and loved it, it was a classic then and a classic now, beautifully written it just fires up a young persons imagination and evokes emotions. If you have not read this book then you must.

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Aug 25, 2017 K. Elizabeth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars, classics, childrens, owned, cute-and-or-easy-reads, reviewed

I read this as a child, many years ago. All I remember is that I loved the story, and wanted my mom to read it to me at least once a month.

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Jun 26, 2018 Nadin Adel rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-this-book, novel, children

Black beauty is the only book written by Anna Sewell. I bought this book may be 17+ years ago, when I used to read illustrated and abridged versions of literature. Later on I deduced that would leak out the story's essence and turn it into complete fragility.

However, the story here is more of an annoyance to me. It is a story of a horse's life. I believe we cannot learn lessons from a horse's life as they are not humans and are not created for the same reasons we are created for.

I understand the ...more

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Nov 16, 2019 Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-shelf, traditional-fiction

When you're growing up in the 1880's, nothing beats the traditional Liberal education. The important features you ought to be learning about your world around you shouldn't only be the plight of orphans in the streets or the seedy underbelly of our overcrowded and filthy cities.

You need to be aware of animal cruelty.

In particular, you need to be aware that if you mistreat your horses, they will not be able to write effectively on their typewriters.

Do not assume these are all ghostwritten. There ...more

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Jul 04, 2013 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, book-and-movie, read-2009, animals, children-ya, fiction, british-literature, fiction-19th-century

You may read online here.

This a very touching novel by Anna Sewell who described the abuse of bearing rein in the horses. Nowadays this question of mistreatment of animals is becoming a harsh reality even in the XXI century.

A movie was made based on this book Black Beauty (1994).

...more

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Nov 16, 2019 Trish rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Lessons learned from this book: people are shit. *lol* Nothing new or groundbreaking but maybe readers back then (1877) thought differently. In any case, Anna Sewell found a marvellous way to show humans just how dreadful they can be - through the eyes of an animal.

This is the life story of a horse that has had many names. The first of those names was Black Beauty. He was born from a long line of fine horses, growing up in a wonderful place but eventually being sold. Many different things happen Lessons learned from this book: people are shit. *lol* Nothing new or groundbreaking but maybe readers back then (1877) thought differently. In any case, Anna Sewell found a marvellous way to show humans just how dreadful they can be - through the eyes of an animal.

This is the life story of a horse that has had many names. The first of those names was Black Beauty. He was born from a long line of fine horses, growing up in a wonderful place but eventually being sold. Many different things happen to him along the way, showing nice owners who care deeply and affectionately for their animals, violent drunks, ignorant fools, lazy people, hard workers and people who pretend to be "good Christians" but who really are just spiteful.

Thus, the reader gets to see Black Beauty's carefree days as a colt, how he grew up to be a sweet-tempered horse, how he worked hard and had to endure quite a number of injustices (though not as many as other horses we learn about), even pulling cabs in London, and the friends he made (both human and animal) throughout his life.

My favourite character, to this day I'm pleased to report, is Ginger. My heart always breaks for her.

Some things are hard to read about as well they should be. Animal welfare might not be perfect nowadays but we've certainly come a long way from the days when horse tails were cut off with no anasthesia, flesh and hair and all because it was supposed to look better!

While we see Victorian England, both in the countryside and big city, through the eyes of a horse, we get to see living and working conditions of both rich people and lowly workers as well as the financial situations of the different classes.
Funny fact: Amongst other things, the book describes conditions among London horse-drawn taxicab drivers, including the financial hardship caused to them by high licence fees and low, legally fixed fares. Soon after the book was published, the difference between 6-day taxicab licences (not allowed to trade on Sundays) and 7-day taxicab licences (allowed to trade on Sundays) was abolished and the taxicab licence fee was much reduced. No idea if the book was responsible but it might have drawn people's attention to this injustice and thus helped to change the situation for the better. I'd like to think so at least.

Mainly, the book teaches about animal welfare and that their lives count just as much as human lives (a radical idea back then and, depending on whom you're talking about, even today). But the book generally talkes about how to lead a good life, how to treat anyone and anything with kindness, sympathy, and respect.

A wonderful classic that I'm very glad I revisited. ...more

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Jun 19, 2017 Winter rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-read

4,5 Stars

A lovely read, although very hard in parts. Even though there's plenty of happy moments there's also abuse and I teared up in the end. ...more

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About Anna Sewell

Anna Sewell

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Anna Sewell was a kind and generous woman whose great love for horses and desire to see them better treated resulted in the most celebrated animal story of the nineteenth century.

Born into a strict Quaker family who lived at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, she was brought up to believe in the importance of self-reliance, moral responsibility and 'tender consideration for the Creatures of God'. From an Anna Sewell was a kind and generous woman whose great love for horses and desire to see them better treated resulted in the most celebrated animal story of the nineteenth century.

Born into a strict Quaker family who lived at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, she was brought up to believe in the importance of self-reliance, moral responsibility and 'tender consideration for the Creatures of God'. From an early age she developed a strong love of animals and abhorred any form of cruelty towards them. She seemed to have a natural affinity with horses, and the great knowledge of horsemanship evident in Black Beauty was born from a lifetime's experience. Anna received her education at home from her mother, who as well as instilling in her a sense of duty and religion also filled the house with music, painting and poetry - she was herself an accomplished ballad-writer - and Anna soon proved a capable pianist and artist. When she was fourteen, Anna - who already suffered from a crippling bone disease - had a fall which left her an invalid for the rest of her life. By her mid-thirties she was no longer able to get around by herself and relied on a pony cart to transport her. Characteristically she never used a whip on her own horses, and one of her intentions with Black Beauty was to 'induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses'.

Confined to her room through ill-health, Anna started writing Black Beauty in 1871 but later abandoned the project until 1876. Afraid that she would not live to see the book published she worked laboriously on it despite failing health. Her mother found a publisher for the book and a delighted Anna saw her work in print in November 1877. She died five months later and was buried at the family plot near Old Catton in Norfolk. What Anna did not live to see was the effect her 'little book' has had on the millions of people around the world who have read it. It has been translated into many languages and there have been several attempts at filming it. As Anna hoped, Black Beauty has exercised great influence on the treatment of animals, a fact highlighted by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) recommendation of the book.

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