Classic Starts®: Black Beauty
Black Beauty is the classic horse story, a beautiful and touching tale told by the title character himself.
Set in Victorian London, it follows Black Beauty’s life and changing fortunes as he moves from owner to owner. As the horse encounters new experiences and new friends who reveal their own histories, the story quietly paints a fascinating portrait of how animals were treated during that era.
Anna Sewell (1820–1878) was an English novelist. She is known as the author of the 1877 novel Black Beauty, her only published work, which is considered one of the top ten bestselling novels for children, although the author intended the work for an adult audience. Sewell died only five months after Black Beauty was published, but lived long enough to experience the positive reception to her work.