Black Beauty: “We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.”

By Anna Sewell

Anna Sewell's only published novel, Black Beauty, is an extraordinary classic that deals with animal life and focuses on the importance of good animal treatment. The idea of writing a book about animal rights has been inspired by Sewell's own physical disability which has made her dependent on horse-drawn transportation. The narrator in Black Beauty is himself a personified horse who tells his life story and describes the world through his own lenses. Sewell says that the objective of writing the novel is to sensitize people to the sufferings of "working animals" and she has actually succeeded in fostering legislation protecting horses and in influencing public attitudes towards animal pain. Black Beauty's life crucially changes when he is taken from a country farm to pull cabs in the city of London. The different ordeals that he has to go through often contain a moral lesson that teaches kindness and sympathy not only for the poor animals, but also between human beings themselves. Indeed, the novel does not miss to cover the hardships of London taxi drivers either. Generally, Sewell's seminal classic has had a great influence on other writers of animal stories and has opened up new windows of discovering animal life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A Word To The Wise
• Release date: Aug 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781780008363

Anna Sewell

Anna Sewell (1820-1878) is a British novelist. Although she wrote a single book in her lifetime, Black Beauty (1877) has become one of the most beloved novels of all time. Due to an injury from a fall at 14 years old, Sewell became an invalid, and her resulting reliance on carriages led to her calling for the humane treatment of horses. Aside from her sole literary work, she assisted her mother in the editing of a series of popular children’s books.

Book preview

Black Beauty

The Autobiography of a Horse

by Anna Sewell

To my dear and honored Mother,

whose life, no less than her pen,

has been devoted to the welfare of others,

this little book is affectionately dedicated.

Contents

Part I

Chapter

01 My Early Home

02 The Hunt

03 My Breaking In

04 Birtwick Park

05 A Fair Start

06 Liberty

07 Ginger

08 Ginger’s Story Continued

09 Merrylegs

10 A Talk in the Orchard

11 Plain Speaking

12 A Stormy Day

13 The Devil’s Trade Mark

14 James Howard

15 The Old Hostler

16 The Fire

17 John Manly’s Talk

18 Going for the Doctor

19 Only Ignorance

20 Joe Green

21 The Parting

Part II

22 Earlshall

23 A Strike for Liberty

24 The Lady Anne, or a Runaway Horse

25 Reuben Smith

26 How it Ended

27 Ruined and Going Downhill

28 A Job Horse and His Drivers

29 Cockneys

30 A Thief

31 A Humbug

Part III

32 A Horse Fair

33 A London Cab Horse

34 An Old War Horse

35 Jerry Barker

36 The Sunday Cab

37 The Golden Rule

38 Dolly and a Real Gentleman

39 Seedy Sam

40 Poor Ginger

41 The Butcher

42 The Election

43 A Friend in Need

44 Old Captain and His Successor

45 Jerry’s New Year

Part IV

46 Jakes and the Lady

47 Hard Times

48 Farmer Thoroughgood and His Grandson Willie

49 My Last Home

Black Beauty

Part I

01 My Early Home

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 plowed 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.

While 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 plowboy, 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.

Bad boy! he said, bad boy! to chase the colts.  This is not the first time, nor the second, but it shall be the last.  There— take your money and go home; I shall not want you on my farm again. So we never saw Dick any more.  Old Daniel, the man who looked after the horses, was just as gentle as our master, so we were well off.

02 The Hunt

Before I was two years old a circumstance happened which I have never forgotten.  It was early in the spring; there had been a little frost in the night, and a light mist still hung over the woods and meadows.  I and the other colts were feeding at the lower part of the field when we heard, quite in the distance, what sounded like the cry of dogs.  The oldest of the colts raised his head, pricked his ears, and said, There are the hounds! and immediately cantered off, followed by the rest of us to the upper part of the field, where we could look over the hedge and see several fields beyond.  My mother and an old riding horse of our master’s were also standing near, and seemed to know all about it.

They have found a hare, said my mother, and if they come this way we shall see the hunt.

And soon the dogs were all tearing down the field of young wheat next to ours.  I never heard such a noise as they made.  They did not bark, nor howl, nor whine, but kept on a yo! yo, o, o! yo! yo, o, o! at the top of their voices.  After them came a number of men on horseback, some of them in green coats, all galloping as fast as they could.  The old horse snorted and looked eagerly after them, and we young colts wanted to be galloping with them, but they were soon away into the fields lower down; here it seemed as if they had come to a stand; the dogs left off barking, and ran about every way with their noses to the ground.

They have lost the scent, said the old horse; perhaps the hare will get off.

What hare? I said.

Oh! I don’t know what hare; likely enough it may be one of our own hares out of the woods; any hare they can find will do for the dogs and men to run after; and before long the dogs began their yo! yo, o, o! again, and back they came altogether at full speed, making straight for our meadow at the part where the high bank and hedge overhang the brook.

Now we shall see the hare, said my mother; and just then a hare wild with fright rushed by and made for the woods.  On came the dogs; they burst over the bank, leaped the stream, and came dashing across the field followed by the huntsmen.  Six or eight men leaped their horses clean over, close upon the dogs.  The hare tried to get through the fence; it was too thick, and she turned sharp round to make for the road, but it was too late; the dogs were upon her with their wild cries; we heard one shriek, and that was the end of her.  One of the huntsmen rode up and whipped off the dogs, who would soon have torn her to pieces.  He held her up by the leg torn and bleeding, and all the gentlemen seemed well pleased.

As for me, I was so astonished that I did not at first see what was going on by the brook; but when I did look there was a sad sight; two fine horses were down, one was struggling in the stream, and the other was groaning on the grass.  One of the riders was getting out of the water covered with mud, the other lay quite still.

His neck is broke, said my mother.

And serve him right, too, said one of the colts.

I thought the same, but my mother did not join with us.

Well, no, she said, you must not say that; but though I am an old horse, and have seen and heard a great deal, I never yet could make out why men are so fond of this sport; they often hurt themselves, often spoil good horses, and tear up the fields, and all for a hare or a fox, or a stag, that they could get more easily some other way; but we are only horses, and don’t know.

While my mother was saying this we stood and looked on.  Many of the riders had gone to the young man; but my master, who had been watching what was going on, was the first to raise him.  His head fell back and his arms hung down, and every one looked very serious.  There was no noise now; even the dogs were quiet, and seemed to know that something was wrong.  They carried him to our master’s house.  I heard afterward that it was young George Gordon, the squire’s only son, a fine, tall young man, and the pride of his family.

There was now riding off in all directions to the doctor’s, to the farrier’s, and no doubt to Squire Gordon’s, to let him know about his son.  When Mr. Bond, the farrier, came to look at the black horse that lay groaning on the grass, he felt him all over, and shook his head; one of his legs was broken.  Then some one ran to our master’s house and came back with a gun; presently there was a loud bang and a dreadful shriek, and then all was still; the black horse moved no more.

My mother seemed much troubled; she said she had known that horse for years, and that his name was Rob Roy; he was a good horse, and there was no vice in him.  She never would go to that part of the field afterward.

Not many days after we heard the church-bell tolling for a long time, and looking over the gate we saw a long, strange black coach that was covered with black cloth and was drawn by black horses; after that came another and another and another, and all were black, while the bell kept tolling, tolling.  They were carrying young Gordon to the churchyard to bury him.  He would never ride again.  What they did with Rob Roy I never knew; but ‘twas all for one little hare.

03 My Breaking In

I was now beginning to grow handsome; my coat had grown fine and soft, and was bright black.  I had one white foot and a pretty white star on my forehead.  I was thought very handsome; my master would not sell me till I was four years old; he said lads ought not to work like men, and colts ought not to work like horses till they were quite grown up.

When I was four years old Squire Gordon came to look at me.  He examined my eyes, my mouth, and my legs; he felt them all down; and then I had to walk and trot and gallop before him.  He seemed to like me, and said, When he has been well broken in he will do very well.  My master said he would break me in himself, as he should not like me to be frightened or hurt, and he lost no time about it, for the next day he began.

Every one may not know what breaking in is, therefore I will describe it.  It means to teach a horse to wear a saddle and bridle, and to carry on his back a man, woman or child; to go just the way they wish, and to go quietly.  Besides this he has to learn to wear a collar, a crupper, and a breeching, and to stand still while they are put on; then to have a cart or a chaise fixed behind, so that he cannot walk or trot without dragging it after him; and he must go fast or slow, just as his driver wishes.  He must never start at what he sees, nor speak to other horses, nor bite, nor kick, nor have any will of his own; but always do his master’s will, even though he may be very tired or hungry; but the worst of all is, when his harness is once on, he may neither jump for joy nor lie down for weariness.  So you see this breaking in is a great thing.

I had of course long been used to a halter and a headstall, and to be led about in the fields and lanes quietly, but now I was to have a bit and bridle; my master gave me some oats as usual, and after a good deal of coaxing he got the bit into my mouth, and the bridle fixed, but it was a nasty thing!  Those who have never had a bit in their mouths cannot think how bad it feels; a great piece of cold hard steel as thick as a man’s finger to be pushed into one’s mouth, between one’s teeth, and over one’s tongue, with the ends coming out at the corner of your mouth, and held fast there by straps over your head, under your throat, round your nose, and under your chin; so that no way in the world can you get rid of the nasty hard thing; it is very bad! yes, very bad!  at least I thought so; but I knew my mother always wore one when she went out, and all horses did when they were grown up; and so, what with the nice oats, and what with my master’s pats, kind words, and gentle ways, I got to wear my bit and bridle.

Next came the saddle, but that was not half so bad; my master put it on my back very gently, while old Daniel held my head; he then made the girths fast under my body, patting and talking to me all the time; then I had a few oats, then a little leading about; and this he did every day till I began to look for the oats and the saddle.  At length, one morning, my master got on my back and rode me round the meadow on the soft grass.  It certainly did feel queer; but I must say I felt rather proud to carry my master, and as he continued to ride me a little every day I soon became accustomed to it.

The next unpleasant business was putting on the iron shoes; that too was very hard at first.  My master went with me to the smith’s forge, to see that I was not hurt or got any fright.  The blacksmith took my feet in his hand, one after the other, and cut away some of the hoof.  It did not pain me, so I stood still on three legs till he had done them all.  Then he took a piece of iron the shape of my foot, and clapped it on, and drove some nails through the shoe quite into my hoof, so that the shoe was firmly on.  My feet felt very stiff and heavy, but in time I got used to it.

And now having got so far, my master went on to break me to harness; there were more new things to wear.  First, a stiff heavy collar just on my neck, and a bridle with great side-pieces against my eyes called blinkers, and blinkers indeed they were, for I could not see on either side, but only straight in front of me; next, there was a small saddle with a nasty stiff strap that went right under my tail; that was the crupper.  I hated the crupper; to have my long tail doubled up and poked through that strap was almost as bad as the bit.  I never felt more like kicking, but of course I could not kick such a good master, and so in time I got used to everything, and could do my work as well as my mother.

I must

Reviews for Black Beauty

[sandra.pinkerton83 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent teen book

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I always thought this was a children's book, but I now think it is a treatise on the ill use of horses in the time it was written.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Black Beauty" was my favourite book as a child, but as an adult reader it has lost its appeal. I don't like animal narrators and Black Beauty was just too perfect for my liking. He never complained, nor did he protest at the treatment he often received from his human owners.

Throughout the book I found many parts slow and I thought Sewell's message was heavy handed. I'm not sure how a 21st century child would cope with this book. I suppose those who are horse crazy would enjoy it, but I think many children would struggle as it is so far removed from their reality. I regret having reread "Black Beauty" as it has now forever spoilt my childhood memories of this book.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought I had read this book as a child and in fact, as I began to read I remembered much of the story. As a child I either stopped reading midway through or blocked out the rest of the story, because it was rather tragic. The story was set in 19th century England, at a time when almost everyone came into frequent contact with horses. It is told from the narrative of Black Beauty, a noble stallion, who is bought and sold many times to various owners, and who treated their horses in various ways. 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. We meet other horses who share a stable, at various times, with Black Beauty and in some cases their demise which is quite painful. Of course at the end, Black Beauty ends up back with an earlier groom and lives his final years in happiness, but to get there, he endures much. I would suggest not necessarily a book for younger children, but a great read especially when you are trying to teach about proper treatment of animals.

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was surprisingly good. A very nice story!

[music09-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This books introduces younger literary members to tragedy without making it traumatizing. By subtly introducing heartbreak and ending on an uplifting moment, the idea that not every story that takes a turn for the worse will stay that way. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book on CD narrated by Simon Vance.First published in 1877, this is the only novel written by Anna Sewel, but it has become a much-loved classic and one of the most widely read animal stories. Black Beauty tells his own story, from his early days as a colt frolicking with his friends and his mother, to learning to accept a bridle, saddle and rider, to being sold as a carriage horse, then to pulling a cab in London, and eventually to a happy country life once again.I had a copy of this book when I was a child; it was part of a set of classics that included works by Louisa May Alcott and Mark Twain (among others). But for some reason I never read it, even during my “horse crazy” phase. I’m so glad I finally got to it. It’s a timeless tale with a simple message: Be kind to everyone (and everything). Sewell manages to convey this through Beauty’s experiences, both good and bad. The hardcover text edition I got from the library was also beautifully illustrated by Lucy Kemp-Welch. There are several full-page full-color plates, as well as small ink drawings beginning each chapter. Simon Vance does a marvelous job voicing the audio version. He gives life to the story, without being overly dramatic. It’s a great book to “read aloud” and I highly recommend listening to it with your children or grandchildren.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This classic children's book narrated by the horse Black Beauty holds up well over time. This book should delight both children and adults. It tells the story of his life through good and bad times. The author of the book was a Quaker woman, and she was definitely trying to teach good moral values to children, but coming from the horse of a mouth, it doesn't seem quite as didactic as some moralistic tales. There are a lot of good pointers about good horsemanship in the book as well. These tend to be a bit preachier than the moral lessons. I enjoyed the story of Black Beauty as a child, but I think I appreciated the story much more as an adult.

[leslie398 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am revising my rating, having just recently finished the audiobook. Although I had forgotten most of the details of this children's classic, it s actually a very powerful and emotional story about the ups and downs of a horse's life during Victorian times.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.25 starsBlack Beauty tells the story of a horse, from the horse's point of view, as he grows up and is sold from person to person. He is treated differently depending who is taking care of him, and is put to work doing different types of jobs. It is set (and was written) in the 19th century.I read this when I was a kid, but really didn't remember it. Animal-lover that I am, of course, I really enjoyed it. I always enjoy animal books even more when they are told from the point of view of the animal, as there is an attempt to understand how that animal would feel and how they would react to things and why they might react the way they do. I was actually thinking this would be a good book for people who work with horses.

[jcalendula · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my favorite books and has been since I was young. I have read it over and over. You are quickly absorbed into the story and I love how it makes you think about the way you treat both the people and animals you meet in your life.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the most beautiful stories of all time. Black Beuaty's journey is one that will touch the hardest heart.

[themulhern · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An outstanding book slightly marred by some remarks about God's goodness and plans. Much of the abuse described in the book still goes on today. Making the horse the narrator of events was a remarkable literary innovation at the time. The book avoids the sentimentality of a good deal of Kipling's animal-as-narrator stories.It's also quite interesting in the way it describes the legalities surrounding ownership of horses.

[satyridae · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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's a wonderful book.

[maquisleader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book I remember reading and it started my voracious appetite for books.I still have my copy, tho it's old and fragile. I picked up a copy from the library to re-read and to use to write my paper on the first book I remember reading. Talk about your easy assignments!Surfing for a pic of the cover I have, I found out that the book was part of a Folgers coffee give away. My grandparents used Folgers and so I have to assume that's where I got it. Life is full of weird little twists!

[librarylou · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I can remember this book as a child, and watching the tv program. (The theme tune always made me cry!) This is a charming book charting the story of a horse throughout his life.

[quaintlittlehead · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book possesses the rare quality of having a writing style that draws the reader in continuously. Sewell's ability to take the point of view of her equine characters and to describe their experiences in knowing detail is marvelous. The book suffers from an overly preachy tone at times, as there is only so much variety a horse can experience and thus the same types of scenarios seem to be gone over more than once. In places Sewell's Quaker faith is evident, as when she describes Old Captain's ambivalent feelings about war. In others, the debates on Christian morality that come before her characters are more likely to clash with some Christian readers' views. In particular, I did not follow the logic between successive chapters in which a character first refuses an entreaty to take work on a Sunday in order to drive a woman who is no longer able to walk to church, and then later accedes to his wife's request that he take another woman unable to walk the distance to go visit a dying relative on a Sunday. These episodes may find root in Sewell's own loss of mobility in life, but regardless, her theology is a bit questionable. She also seems to make no apologies for the character of Ginger "standing up for herself" through bad behaviour when mistreated, and allows the character to go on and on about how much better behaved she'd be if only others had treated her well. This novel thus strikes me as interesting and unusual in that it moves the reader to compassion for animal characters by endowing them with human-like emotional and mental capacities, but does not seem to hold them to the same moral standards of accountability or agency. The horses, thus, do not necessarily display in themselves a clear moral goal to which the young readers are expected to aspire. This does not make the book a bad one, but rather a more complex and interesting one, and while it is not a work I would give to young readers as a straightforward depiction of social equity and the obligations of man, it is definitely one worth leading young readers through with a critical, evaluative eye. A set of discussion questions and project ideas at the end of the Aladdin edition of this book may also help parents and teachers with this aim.

[qwiksilver_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book, in one form or another, has stayed on my shelf since I was a child. It has wonderful life lessons throughout the story and should be required reading of any child, horse crazy or not. It is a must for any child with a pony. It taught me to be kinder to my ponies. (As a result, they were much kinder to me.)

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A year or so before I read this book I read Beautiful Joe and was hugely influenced by it to be kinder to animals. I approved of this book for the same reason as I liked Beautiful Joe, though I remember being puzzled by the horse being bothered by a device which kept the horse's head elevated--I don't think that was pertinent to the horses I had a lot to do with . Our horses were for work, not for show.

[martensgirl · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I quite liked the book to begin with as I enjoyed all the tales of the humane treatment of animals. It did get a bit tiresome towards the end. The story does not really flow as the horse is passed from place to place.

[thatotter-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Filled with didactic moralizing...also, Black Beauty was a total Mary Sue. I would say this is one of those books that's best read only in childhood, but then again it also contains a lot of horse abuse and death that I would have found very sad as a child.

[teresac1.g3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It starts when beauty was a colt with his mother at his first home. His mother told him never to bite or kick anyone.

[t1bclasslibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This eyewitness book tells a shortened version of the story of Black Beauty, while explaining a lot of horse history. The margins are loaded with information about horse care and how it relates to the story. The story is also brought to life with illustrations. This is a great introduction or companion to the novel, and also of interest to young horse enthusiasts.

[terrapinjetta_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this and then I cried and cried and cried. And then I read it again. I was 8.

[stbalbach_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Black Beauty is written from the perspective of a horse, a first person autobiographical narrative; from Beauty as a foal on an English farm, to a hard life at work in London, to retirement in the country. Each short chapter tells a story of an event that contains a lesson about how to treat horses. Allegorically, the lessons are easily applied to treating other people as well, the book has been a popular teaching aid in schools to this day.This is truely a gift for the impressionable reader, perhaps 7-14 age range. As an adult it was a heart-warming reminder, food for the soul, told with beautiful finess and a soft touch. The author Anna Sewell, a Quaker, her life story is as touching as the fictional horse she wrote about. She was an invalid as a young girl and could not walk, living with her mother (a famous author in her own right). Anna never married or had children. She only wrote this one book, writing on scraps of paper passed to her mother while she lay on the living room couch as her health declined, living just long enough to see its initial success.

[appaloosa_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Since pictures & illustrations are as much a part of a child's imagination as the written word, then this book beautifully combines both, with the abundant B&W line illustrations by illustrator Lucy Kemp-Welch, in addition to the 12 colour plates included; all in keeping with the time period this novel is set in. A wonderful edition to any child's library.I've been reading horse-topic related books for as long as I can remember; but the very first horse story that left an indelible impression on me was ANNA SEWELL's "BLACK BEAUTY."It really openend my eyes to the abuse and cruelty, and majestic fraility that these wonderful creatures suffer at the hands of their human counterparts. Ms Sewell opted to write this book from "the horse's mouth" so to speak, and she was one of the very few authors that was able to pull this off with great success. This book also laid the cornerstone for the ASPCA aims and goals, and brought to light the conditions and treatment of working horses in 20th century London, England (and elsewhere ). The story is told of a horse's life; from start to finish; told with dignity and warmth, and serves as a successful analogy as to how humans should interact with one another. This book also laid the cornerstone for my interest and love of all things equine, and further fed my hunger to acquire as many horse books as an 11 year old could. From there, and I went on to read all of Walter Farley's "The Black Stallion" series (at one time, I owned all the hardcover editions), the Marguerite Henry books, and Enid Bagnold's "National Velvet"(which really wasn't about a horse per se), and anything else I could get my horse-hungry hands on! I now keep a copy of Anna Sewell's "Black Beauty" in my library at home, and have given a copy to my daughter to read. This is a tale that sensitizes the reader to the plight of horses at the hands of their human caregivers, trainers, breeders, riders, etc - all told from the horse's mouth.And lest we think the inhumane treatment of horses has abided since this book was written - one only has to follow the controversy surrounding the use of "Premarin", or the questionable training methods of gaited horses, or the exploitation of horses in the Thoroughbred racing industry, or the many abuses of rodeo, etc.There is much to be gleaned about the exploitation and abuse of animals from this book. All in all, this book will always remain a timeless classic.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I can't even finish this thing. It is dull as dirt. I cannot imagine a child being captivated by this story. If this was my first novel as a child, I probably would never have picked up another. Sorry, I like literature for children, but this one didn't do it for me.

[weeturtle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read this book three times over the years. It's always been one of my favourites, first as I like horses, and second as it's even better when the horses are doing the talking.The book tells the story of the life of a horse from youth to old age, and the good and bad events that follow him. Through his eyes and occasional commentary you see people and animals of different attitudes and opinions. While Sewell was adressing the poor treatment of animals by people, she also acknowledges that there are good people and sometimes bad people have reasons for being the way they are though the eyes of the horse.The story is, at some points, quite miserable, but the end is heartening and it forces us to look at things from the perspective of the animals we work and live with.

[laviniarossetti · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This little shining black colt was born with the most lovely mother, a grassy field to live and play in, and most of all, a kind master. He did not shame upon the little horse, nor did he kick, or whip to hard, and he had a light grip upon the reign when it came to his breaking in. He gave him bran mash and oats all the time, and the colt was delighted - yet he had no idea that soon enough, he would be sold away from his master, and away from his mother, and away from his field, and possibly, away from kindness.
The time did come, of course, and the horse was sold to the squire in the neighbouring village. He bought him and treated him well, luckily for him; and then he named him Black Beauty. The men who looked after him so nicely, John and James and Miss Bessie and Flora. He also had those warming friends close by him, Ginger and Sir Oliver and Merrylegs. Nothing could have been better - apart from how much he missed his family, and how much more liberty Beauty so wanted in his life.
Whenever the author comes across a time in the book when the colt (or, it could be, no longer a colt anymore) is out in the Victorian streets, I believe, he always finds some time when the reader can get to know horses. For instance, it shows boys behaving badly and terribly to ponies, or men whipping their colt when it turns the wrong direction, poor thing.
Two of the most charmingly horrible chapters were 'The Hunt' and a different one, named 'The Fire'. They were both incredibly well-written, and made you feel about the horses brilliantly. In the first chapter, The Hunt, a man and a horse died painfully. The horse broke his leg and was shot, and later on in the book it is discovered that that horse was Rob Roy, brother of Black Beauty.
Back inside the great fire that happened in the stables over business, two horses were left in the stables. 'There was a dreadful sound before we all got into the stables - the shrieks of those poor horses that were left burning to death in the stable.' is one quote. 'The two poor horses that could not be got out were buried under the burnt rafters and tiles.' was another. It was terribly sad.
Black Beauty was moved from owner to owner, groom to groom; but still he could find no person on earth who seemed to feel good and encouraging about his horses. Soon, however, he found his own life good and pure with Master Jerry, a lovely, good chap with a daughter, son and wife, and a horrendous good mind for horses. He pulled up and complained whenever he saw horses ill-used, and he would be lovely to Black Beauty - or Jack, as he then called him. But from time to time, bad things happen, and young Jackie was given away to lots of other people.
He was given away to many angry and barking old blokes, who lashed him with the bearing rein and pulled tight up with the bit digging horrifically to the sides of his delicate mouth. Poor old Beauty - but then, a good horse accompanies good souls, and he was given to good old Farmer Thoroughgood and his grandson Willie.
They picked Black Beauty from the Horse Fair, and they were marvellously kind to him. He was given to Willie, a kind, generous young boy, as his own responsibility, but soon he gave it to Lady Ellen, and Miss Lavinia (the first time I've seen my own name in a book!) and their family, in kindly treated hands; and so he lived until he died with a glorious life.

[thereadingmermaid · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating look into human behavior both good and bad."Through the eyes of Black Beauty, we observe the actions of human beings. The gallant horse is sold to many types of people. Some are good masters who treat Beauty with compassion and tenderness. Others are bad masters, who do not care if Beauty has enough food to eat or if he is too tired to be ridden."You know, this is one of my all-time favorite stories. When I was very young I had a cartoon version of this story that I watched constantly. I now own the live-action film. I know the story like the back of my had. But I'd never read the book... til now!Both utterly sad and depressing as well as joyous and triumphant, this book has an amazing story to tell. This is definitely one that pulls on your heart strings. Perfect for teens and young adult readers as well as adults. I highly recommend this classic tale to everyone who loves animals of any kind.