
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell
'Black Beauty' Summary
The story is narrated in the first person as an autobiographical memoir told by the titular horse named Black Beauty—beginning with his carefree days as a foal on an English farm with his mother, 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 behavior lending the novel a good deal of verisimilitude.
The book describes conditions among London horse-drawn taxicab drivers, including the financial hardship caused to them by high license fees and low, legally fixed fares. A page footnote in some editions says that soon after the book was published, the difference between 6-day taxicab licenses (not allowed to trade on Sundays) and 7-day taxicab licenses (allowed to trade on Sundays) was abolished and the taxicab license fee was much reduced.
Book Details
Authors

Anna Sewell
England
Anna Sewell was an English novelist. She is well known as the author of the 1877 novel Black Beauty, her only published work, which is now considered one of the top ten bestselling novels for children...
Books by Anna SewellDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

The Sandman: His Farm Stories by William John Hopkins
This is a delightful collection of heartwarming tales set against the backdrop of a charming farm. Written with a touch of whimsy and a deep understan...

Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures by Richard Barnum
One of the Kneetime Animal Stories for children, Dido the Dancing Bear may seem unethical today, but when it was written in 1916, such spectacles were...

Toodle and Noodle Flat-tail: The Jolly Beaver Boys by Howard R. Garis
The book tells the story of two beaver brothers named Toodle and Noodle, and their many adventures in the forest. The book is filled with delightful...

The Tale of Solomon Owl by Arthur Scott Bailey
In the heart of a tranquil forest, where sunlight filters through the emerald canopy and the air whispers with secrets, resides Solomon Owl, a wise an...

Pelle the Conqueror, Volume 1 by Martin Andersen Nexo
The novel follows the character Pelle Karlsson, who immigrates to Denmark from Sweden in 1877 at age eight. At 18, he moves from Bornholm to Copenhage...

The Sins of Silvertip the Fox by John Breck
Silvertip the Fox isn't the only one up to mischief! There are the plots of the bad little owls and even Tommy who almost loses his temper. But learn...

The Human Boy by Eden Phillpotts
A mischievous and imaginative young boy, Peter, embarks on a series of adventures in the Devon countryside. From encounters with fairies and animals t...

Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks by William Elliot Griffis
Step into a world of enchantment and wonder with William Elliot Griffis's captivating collection of Dutch fairy tales, where mermaids, enchanted creat...

Father and Son by Edmond Gosse
Father and Son is a memoir by poet and critic Edmund Gosse, which he subtitled "a study of two temperaments." Edmund had previously published a biogra...

Aesop's Fables, Volume 02 (Fables 26-50) by Aesop
Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost...
Reviews for Black Beauty