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One of the most beloved animal characters of all time comes to life in Black Beauty. Although originally dismissed as a trite children’s novel because it is written in the voice of a horse, the novel brings to consciousness the abuses endured by horses in late 1800s England. In fact, Anna Sewell’s effort to write a fantasy novel that would teach the proper treatment of horses ultimately led to its success when the Animal Humane Education Society founder George T. Angell promoted the novel in the United States. Even though the cruel practices Sewell wrote against were outmoded long ago – the bearing rein went out of style as a direct outcome of the novel popularity – the spirit that Beauty represents – gentleness, kindness and humanity – will never be outdated.
One of the most beloved animal characters of all time comes to life in Black Beauty. Although originally dismissed as a trite children’s novel because it is written in the voice of a horse, the novel brings to consciousness the abuses endured by horses in late 1800s England. In fact, Anna Sewell’s effort to write a fantasy novel that would teach the proper treatment of horses ultimately led to its success when the Animal Humane Education Society founder George T. Angell promoted the novel in the United States. Even though the cruel practices Sewell wrote against were outmoded long ago – the bearing rein went out of style as a direct outcome of the novel popularity – the spirit that Beauty represents – gentleness, kindness and humanity – will never be outdated.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Excerpts-
From Chapter 1
The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a ploughed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank.
Whilst I was young, I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her. When it was hot, we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees, and when it was cold, we had a nice warm shed near the grove.
As soon as I was old enough to eat grass, my mother used to go out to work in the daytime, and come back in the evening.
There were six young colts in the meadow besides me; they were older than I was; some were nearly as large as grown-up horses. I used to run with them, and had great fun; we used to gallop all together round and round the field as hard as we could go. Sometimes we had rather rough play, for they would frequently bite and kick as well as gallop.
One day, when there was a good deal of kicking, my mother whinnied to me to come to her, and then she said, -
"I wish you to pay attention to what I am going to say to you. The colts who live here are very good colts, but they are cart-horse colts, and of course they have not learned manners. You have been well-bred and well-born; your father has a great name in these parts, and your grandfather won the cup two years at the Newmarket races; your grandmother had the sweetest temper of any horse I ever knew, and I think you have never seen me kick or bite. 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."
I have never forgotten my mother's advice; I knew she was a wise old horse, and our master thought a great deal of her. Her name was Duchess, but he often called her Pet.
Our master was a good, kind man. He gave us good food, good lodging, and kind words; he spoke as kindly to us as he did to his little children. We were all fond of him, and my mother loved him very much. When she saw him at the gate, she would neigh with joy, and trot up to him. He would pat and stroke her and say, "Well, old Pet, and how is your little Darkie?" I was a dull black, so he called me Darkie; then he would give me a piece of bread, which was very good, and sometimes he brought a carrot for my mother. All the horses would come to him, but I think we were his favorites. My mother always took him to the town on a market day in a light gig.
There was a ploughboy, Dick, who sometimes came into our field to pluck blackberries from the hedge. When he had eaten all he wanted, he would have, what he called, fun with the colts, throwing stones and sticks at them to make them gallop. We did not much mind him, for we could gallop off; but sometimes a stone would hit and hurt us.
One day he was at this game, and did not know that the master was in the next field; but he was there, watching what was going on; over the hedge he jumped in a snap, and catching Dick by the arm, he gave him such a box on the ear as made him roar with the pain and surprise. As soon as we saw the master, we trotted up nearer to see what went on.
About the Author-
Anna Sewell was born in 1820 in Yarmouth, England, to Quaker parents, Isaac and Mary Wright Sewell. Mary had a tremendous impact on her two children by speaking out against cruelty towards animals and instructing them in horsemanship. After an accident that left Anna as a semi-invalid when she was twelve, Anna spent more time indoors helping her mother, who was developing a career as a children’s writer. Restrained from physical activity, Anna began writing Black Beauty, based on her brother Phillip’s horse. She sold the novel for a flat sum of twenty pounds to Jarrold and Sons Publishers, and it was published on November 24, 1877. She passed away three months later, without realizing it would go on to sell millions of copies world-wide, and that it would inspire sisters Christine, Diana, and Josephine Pullein-Thompson to write the sequels Black Beauty’s Kin and Black Beauty’s Family.
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