Black Beauty - Paperback

Sewell, Anna: - Anna Sewell was an English novelist best known for Black Beauty, one of the most influential animal stories ever written. Born in Norfolk, England, in 1820, Sewell was raised in a Quaker household that valued moral seriousness, compassion, and social responsibility. A childhood injury left her with lasting mobility difficulties, and she often depended on horse-drawn transport, an experience that deepened her attention to the treatment, labour, and suffering of horses in Victorian society.Sewell wrote Black Beauty late in life, intending the book to encourage kindness, responsibility, and humane treatment rather than merely to entertain. Published in 1877, shortly before her death, the novel quickly became widely read and helped strengthen public concern over animal cruelty, harsh working conditions for horses, and practices such as the bearing rein. Though Black Beauty was Sewell's only book, its influence has been immense, securing her place in the history of children's literature, Victorian fiction, animal welfare writing, and classic horse stories.