Black Beauty

Anna Sewell (1820-1878)

Original en 59485 words First published 1877 United Kingdom

Anna Sewell's 1877 classic, subtitled 'His Grooms and Companions', and one of the bestselling novels ever written. Told by the horse himself — from a carefree colt on an English farm, through cab work in London, cruel owners, kind ones, illness and near-ruin, to a peaceful old age — it was written, in Sewell's words, 'to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses'. The first great animal novel and a book that genuinely changed how animals were treated, it remains one of the most affecting arguments for gentleness in English.

Text sourced from Project Gutenberg (public domain in the United States); the Project Gutenberg trademark and license text have been removed on import. Public-domain status determined by the author's death year + 50 years rule.

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