Black Beauty
1940, a nice hardback edition in dustwrapper
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
Reprint. Hardback in dustwrapper. 19.5 × 12.5cm, 254pp + ads.
Anna Sewell composed Black Beauty in the last years of her life, during which she remained in her house as an invalid. The novel became an immediate best-seller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, but having lived long enough to see her only novel become a success. It would become one of the bestselling books of all time.
Narrated in the first person as an autobiographical memoir, the book is told by Black Beauty—beginning with his carefree days as a colt 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. Sewell wrote detailed observations and extensive descriptions of horse behaviour leaning a great deal of authenticity to the writing.
Condition
A very nice copy. The dustwrapper as some minor edgewear but is bright and now within a protective sleeve. The book has some heavy spotted foxing to the page edges but is otherwise clean and in strong readable condition. Neat previous owner's name to the front pastedown.
Price
£35.00
