Black Beauty (in full: Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse, first published November 24 1877) is Anna Sewell's first and only novel, composed in the last years of her life between 1871 and 1877 while confined to her house as an invalid.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Christies auction house in South Kensington, London Christies American branch in Rockefeller Center, New York Christies is a fine art auction house, the largest and by some accounts the oldest in the world. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Anna Sewell (March 30, 1820 – April 25, 1878) was a British writer, the author of the classic novel Black Beauty. ... In political geography and international politics a country is a geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Black Beauty may refer to: Black Beauty, 1877 book by Anna Sewell. ... Anna Sewell (March 30, 1820 – April 25, 1878) was a British writer, the author of the classic novel Black Beauty. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

The story is told in the first person (or "first horse") as an autobiographical memoir told by a highbred horse named Black Beauty—beginning with his carefree days as a foal on an English farm, to his difficult life pulling cabs in London, to his happy retirement in the country. Along the way, he meets with many hardships and recounts many tales of cruelty and kindness. Each short chapter recounts an incident in Black Beauty's life containing a lesson or moral typically related to the kindness, sympathy, and understanding treatment of horses, with Sewell's detailed observations and extensive descriptions of horse behaviour lending the novel a good deal of verisimilitude.^[1] ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... For other uses, see Verisimilitude (disambiguation). ...

The book became an immediate best-seller, with Anna living just long enough (five months) to see her first and only novel become a success. Anna said of her purpose in writing "its special aim being to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses"^[1]—an influence she attributed to an essay on animals she read earlier by Horace Bushnell (1802-1876) entitled "Essay on Animals".^[2] Her sympathetic portrayal of the plight of working animals led to a vast outpouring of concern for animal welfare and is said to have been instrumental in abolishing the cruel practice of using the checkrein (or "bearing rein", a strap used to keep horses' heads high, fashionable in Victorian England but painful and damaging to a horse's neck).^[3] Horace Bushnell (April 14, 1802 - February 17, 1876) was an American theologian. ... The bearing rein, also called a checkrein, is a type of rein used on horses. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ...

Crippled and unable to walk since a young child, Anna's exposure to horses began early in life when she spent many hours driving her father to and from the station from which he commuted to work. Sewell's introduction to writing began in her youth when she helped edit the works of her mother, Mary Wright Sewell (1797-1884), a deeply religious, popular author of juvenile best-sellers. By telling the story of a horse's life in the form of an autobiography and describing the world through the eyes of the horse, Anna Sewell broke new literary ground.^[3] Mary Wright Sewell was the mother of Anna Sewell. ... Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ...

Black Beauty was not originally intended as a children's novel, but for people who work with horses. It soon, however, became a children's classic, a novel of education for generations of schoolchildren to the present day. While outwardly teaching animal welfare, it also contains allegorical lessons about how to treat people with kindness, sympathy and respect. Later student editions included further study questions, highlighting the moral theme of each chapter.^[4]

Margaret Blount in her book Animal Land says Black Beauty is “the first real animal novel,” “the most famous and best-loved animal book of all time,” and “perhaps the last of the moral tales” (249-50). Susan Chitty calls it “probably the most successful animal story ever written” with more than 30 million sold.^[3]

Characters

Horses:

• Black Beauty/Black Auster/Jack/Darkie—The narrator of the story who earned his name from his dark fur. He always tries his best to serve humans despite the circumstance.
• Duchess/Pet—Beauty's mother, who encourages Beauty to be good from a young age.
• Rob Roy—A fellow black horse from Beauty's original farm. It is later alluded that he was Beauty's at least half-brother.
• Ginger—Named so beacause she "bites", Ginger is a more aggressive horse due to her traumatic upbringing.
• Merrylegs—A short, handsome pony who is polite to humans and horses alike.
• Sir Oliver—A horse who had his tail removed for fashion purposes to his great annoyance and discomfort.
• Peggy—A cab horse who cannot run so fast due to her short legs.
• Captain—A former army horse who encountered horrific treatment and incidents whilst being used for battle.

Beauty's owners

• Farmer Grey—Beauty's first owner.
• Squire Gordon—owner of Birtwick Park, a fine rider, and boss John, James, and Joe.
• John Manly—A coachman who treats his horses with care and respect.
• James Howard—John's stable boy.
• Joe Green—John's younger and less experienced stable boy.
• Earl of W-—An unamed Lord who uses Beauty as a carriage horse
• Reuben Smith—A handsome and charming young man whose downfall is caused by his alcoholism.
• Mr. Barry—A man who tries to treat horses well, but lacks knowledge on horse care.
• Filcher—Barry's horse groom who steals food from the stable (Note: the verb 'to filch' means 'to steal').
• Jerry—A kind owner who uses Beauty as a cab horse. AKA Jeremiah Barker. Also owned Captain and Hotspur.
• Jakes—An owner who uses Beauty as a work horse, forcing him to carry heavy loads.
• Nicholas Skinner—A ruthless cab horse driver who wears out horses through hard work and mistreatment.
• Farmer Throughgood—A kind owner who cares for Beauty when he is at his weakest.

Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ...

Film adaptations

The book has been adapted into film and television several times, including: Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ...

• Black Beauty (1946) at the Internet Movie Database
• Black Beauty (1971) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Adventures of Black Beauty (TV series) (1972) at the Internet Movie Database
• Black Beauty (1994 film). See also Docs Keepin Time, the horse that starred as Black Beauty.
• Additionally, in 1966 Walt Disney Productions produced an LP adaptation on its Disneyland Records label with music by Disney's musical director at the time, Tutti Camarata, complete with narration similar to an old time radio program; Disney has never made an animated or live-action version and it is not known whether one was ever planned by Disney.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Black Beauty is a film adaptation of Anna Sewells novel, directed by Caroline Thompson. ... Docs Keepin Time is a black American Quarter Horse most famous for starring as Black Beauty in the 1994 film adaptation of Anna Sewells novel. ... Walt Disney Productions is the former name of The Walt Disney Company, which it held from 1929 to 1986. ... Long Playing (LP), either 10 or 12-inch diameter, 33 rpm (actually 33â…“) vinyl gramophone records, first introduced in 1948, were the primary release format for recorded music for about 30 years, from the late 1950s until CDs effectively replaced them in the late 1980s. ... Salvador Tutti Camarata (May 11, 1913 - April 13, 2005) was a composer, arranger and trumpeter. ... Old-Time Radio (OTR) or The Golden Age of Radio is a term used to refer to radio programs that were broadcast during the 1920s through the late 1950s (with some outlying programs produced earlier and later) in the United States, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada and...

References from other works

• Beautiful Joe was a best-selling 1893 novel about a dog that was directly influenced by Black Beauty and followed a similar path to fame through awareness of cruelty to animals.
• The Pullein-Thompson sisters wrote two sequels to the novel:Black Beauty's Kin and Black Beauty's Family.
• Spike Milligan wrote a parody of the novel called Black Beauty:According to Spike Milligan (1996).
• Phyllis Briggs wrote a sequel Son of Black Beauty (19??).

Beautiful Joe was a dog from the town of Meaford, Ontario in Canada whose story inspired a bestselling novel in 1894 of the same name and, by extension, contributed significantly to the worldwide awareness of animal cruelty. ... The Pullein-Thompson sisters - Josephine Pullein-Thompson (1924-), Diana Pullein-Thompson (1925-) and Christine Pullein-Thompson (1925-2005) - are British writers who have written innumerable horse and pony books (mostly fictional) aimed at children, but mostly popular with girls. ... Terence Alan Milligan, KBE, (16 April 1918–27 February 2002), known as Spike Milligan, was an Irish writer, artist, musician, humanitarian, comedian, and poet. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Merriam-Webster (1995). "Black Beauty". Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature.
2. ^ Gentle Heart: The Story of Anna Sewell, by Jen Longshaw.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Anna Sewell, by Prof. Waller Hastings, Northern State University, 2004. Archive.org copy.
4. ^ For example see the John C. Winston Co 1927 edition.

Northern State University is a university located in Aberdeen, South Dakota. ...

External links

• Black Beauty, available at Project Gutenberg.
• Black Beauty, 1877 first edition, scanned book via Internet Archive
• Black Beauty, Penguin Readers Fact Sheet.