Main-Triumphant-Late-Career-books-1800×1200.jpg

Reading lists

7 brilliant authors who wrote their best books late in their careers

Black Beauty

A brave and handsome horse meets with many adventures and all types of people. But no matter what he encounters, nothing can break Black Beauty's spirit

One of the greatest books ever narrated by a horse, with a fine message: be kind to animals, and they'll be kind to you

One of the most enchanting and best-loved children's stories of all time

This was the first book that reduced me to tears - I saw what it meant to campaign ardently and successfully for an important cause.

So what makes these different to any other set of classics? In a moment of inspiration Random House had the bright idea of actually asking Key stage 2 children what extra ingredients they could add to make children want to read. And does it work? Well, put it this way...my 13-year-old daughter announced that she had to read a book over the summer holiday and, without any prompting, spotted The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...and proceeded to read it! Now, if you knew my 13-year-old daughter, you would realise that this is quite remarkable. She reads texts, blogs and tags by the thousand - but this is the first book she has read since going to high school, so all hail Vintage Classics!

National Association for the Teaching of English

Anna Sewell was born in 1820 and lived with her family in Norfolk and then in a village on the outskirts of London. At the age of fourteen Anna injured her ankles in a fall, and was severely disabled for the rest of her life. She had to travel everywhere in horse-drawn carriages, and so Anna was always concerned with the treatment of the animals she so relied upon. She wrote Black Beauty in order to convince a wide audience of the importance of the humane treatment of animals. It is her only novel, and Anna Sewell died shortly after it's publication, little guessing how well-known and widely loved her story would become.

"You saved your mistress's life, Beauty! yes, you saved her life" 
 
Black Beauty is the prettiest young horse in the meadows, and spends many happy days under the apple trees with his friends Ginger and Merrylegs. But this easy life comes to an end when Beauty is sold and goes from farm to inn to cabhorse in London, enduring rough treatment from foolish and careless masters. Beauty remains faithful, hardworking and full of spirit despite his trials, and through him we learn that all horses and humans alike deserve to be treated with kindness. 
 
BACKSTORY: Find out about the unusual author and learn some horsey vocabulary.

Ladybird Classics: Black Beauty

This beautiful hardback Ladybird Classic edition of Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is a perfect first illustrated introduction to the classic horse story for younger readers. 
It has been sensitively abridged and retold to make it suitable for sharing with young children from 5+, whilst retaining all the key parts of the story including Black Beauty's friendship with Ginger, his treatment at the hands of his owners, and fascinating historical detail about how how horses had many different uses in the days before cars. 
Detailed full-colour illustrations throughout also help to bring this classic tale to life. 
 
 Other exciting titles in the Ladybird Classics series include Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels, The Secret Garden, Oliver Twist and Treasure Island.

Anna Sewell (Author) Anna Sewell (1820-78) was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Black Beauty, her only book, was completed and published in 1877, just a few months before she died, so she did not live to know of the book's huge success. Apart from being a good story, Black Beauty was instrumental in changing people's attitudes towards horses, and domestic animals in general.

This Ladybird Classic is an abridged retelling of the classic story of Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, making it perfect for introducing the story to younger children, or for newly confident readers to tackle alone. 
 
Beautiful new illustrations throughout and a gorgeous larger format with ribbon marker bring the magic of this classic horse story to a new generation of children.

Black Beauty (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

ANNA MARY SEWELL (1789-1884) was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England to Isaac Phillip Sewell 
and Mary Wright Sewell. Educated at home until age twelve, Sewell attended school for the first time after her family moved to Stoke Newington. At fourteen, she slipped while walking home from school and severely injured both of her ankles. Most likely due to inappropriate treatment of her injuries, Sewell remained disabled for the rest of her life and could not walk or stand without a crutch. Her need for horse-drawn carriages and her constant close proximity to horses lead to her increased awareness and concern for their humane treatment. Sewell wrote BLACK BEAUTY, her only published work, from 1871 to 1877 amid declining health. Her goal was to encourage the kind treatment of horses, though the work has remained popular as a children's classic. Sewell died on April 25, 1878, five months after BLACK BEAUTY's publication. 
 
JANE SMILEY (foreword) is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A THOUSAND ACRES and more than ten 
other works of fiction, as well as three works of nonfiction, including a critically acclaimed biography of Charles Dickens. In 2001 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in northern California. 
 
JILLIAN TAMAKI is an illustrator and comics artist. She grew up on the Canadian Prairies and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been published in THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORKER and NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, among others. She has two books of personal work, and a graphic novel that she made with her cousin Mariko Tamaki.

Anna Sewell's moving story is one of the best-loved animal adventures ever written, this Penguin Threads edition of Black Beauty includes a new foreword by Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley, cover art by Jillian Tamaki and deluxe French flaps. Commissioned by award-winning Penguin art director Paul Buckley, the Penguin Threads series debuts with cover art by Jillian Tamaki for three gift-worthy Penguin Classics. Sketched out in a traditional illustrative manner, then hand stitched using needle and thread, the final covers are sculpt embossed for a tactile, textured, and beautiful book design that will appeal to the Etsy(tm)-loving world of handmade crafts.

Anna Sewell (1820-78) was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Black Beauty, her only book, was completed and published just a few months before she died in 1877, so she did not live to know of the book's huge success. Apart from being a good story, Black Beauty was instrumental in changing people's attitudes towards horses, and domestic animals in general.

The abridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty, one of the best-loved childrens tales of all time, read by Martin Jarvis. 
 
Black Beauty is a handsome, sweet-tempered colt with a strong spirit. As a young colt he is free to gallop in the fresh green meadows with his beloved mother, Duchess, and their kind master. But when his owners are forced to sell him, Black Beauty goes from a life of comfort and kindness to one of hard labour and cruelty. Bravely he works as hard as he can, suffering at the hands of men who treat animals badly. But Black Beauty has an unbreakable spirit and will, and is determined to survive . . .

Everyman's Children's Classics has more than 50 titles in print. It offers the finest editions currently available of the world's greatest children's books in handsome, full cloth hardcover bindings. 
 
The library brings back into print major illustrators such as Ivan Bilibin, Kate Greenaway, Arthur Rackham, Nicolas Bentley, Walter Crane, Aubrey Beardsley, Edward Ardizzone, W.Heath Robinson and Mervyn Peake.

Described on the title-page of the first edition as 'the autobiography of her horse, translated from the original equine', BLACK BEAUTY was Anna Sewell's only book, written when she fatally ill but determined to record her passopnate indignation at the insensitive behaviour of people towards animals. It has been loved by children ever since its first publication in 1877, just a few months before the death of its author, whose declared aim had been to 'induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment of horses'. The illustrations by Lucy Kemp-Welch first apperared in 1915.

Anna Sewell

Black Beauty is a handsome, sweet-tempered colt with a strong spirit. As a young colt he is free to gallop in the fresh green meadows with his beloved mother, Duchess, and their kind master. But when his owners are forced to sell him, Black Beauty goes from a life of comfort and kindness to one of hard labour and cruelty. Bravely he works as hard as he can, suffering at the hands of men who treat animals badly. But Black Beauty has an unbreakable spirit and will, and is determined to survive...

Anna Sewell

Black Beauty

Select a format:

Retailers:

Summary

More books from this author