3 Review(s)

Black Beauty translated from the original Equine, the fictional ‘autobiography’ of a talking horse, first published on 24th November 1877, is Anna Sewell’s only novel, composed in the last years of her life between 1871 and 1877 while confined to her house as an invalid. The unique tale is narrated by a lovely, gentle horse named Black Beauty and has remained a children’s favorite classic from its first publication. According to an estimate, it has sold more than fifty million copies worldwide, and been translated into many languages and delighted generations of children. As an autobiography written by a horse and told from his point of view, it was indeed an original and unique concept for the time. The book was never intended to be exclusively read by children. It was written as a manual for those who worked with horses so that they would develop more compassion and kindness when dealing with these mute animals. While the book apparently talks about animals, it is a great source of education for human beings too and teaches them how to treat each other with respect, dignity, and kindness. The book traces the journey of a beautiful and noble horse, born in privileged circumstances whose life takes a turn for the tragic when his wealthy owner falls on hard times. He is sold to a number of different homes, from Earlshall Park, a fashionable home, to a stable that rents out carriages and finally to a London cab driver. For young readers, it is a delightful tale told by an animal. On other hand, adults would recognize the essential humanitarian appeal made by the author. In fact, such was the impact of the book that it led to several landmark legislations regarding animal welfare in U.S.A. and U.K.