''Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse'' is an 1877 novel by English author

Anna Sewell Anna Sewell (; 30 March 1820 – 25 April 1878)''The Oxford Guide to British Women Writers'' by Joanne Shattock. p. 385, Oxford University Press. (1993) was an English novelist who wrote the 1877 novel '' Black Beauty'', her only published work ...

. It was written from a horse as main character's perspective. She wrote it in the last years of her life, during which she was bedridden and seriously ill.Merriam-Webster (1995). "Black Beauty". ''Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature''. 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. With over fifty million copies sold, ''Black Beauty'' is one of the best-selling books of all time.The Times
on ''Black Beauty'': "Fifty million copies of Black Beauty have been sold in the years since Anna Sewell's publisher paid her £20 for the story." (29 February 2008) While forthrightly teaching

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

, it also teaches how to treat people with kindness, sympathy, and respect. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 58 on the BBC's survey ''

The Big Read The Big Read was a survey on books that was carried out by the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2003, when over three-quarters of a million votes were received from the British public to find the nation's best-loved novel. The year-long survey was th ...

''. It is seen as a forerunner of the

pony book A pony is a type of small horse, usually measured under a specified height at maturity. Ponies often have thicker coats, manes and tails, compared to larger horses, and proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier , thicker necks and s ...

genre.

Background

Anna Sewell was born in

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

, England, and had a brother named Philip, who was an engineer in Europe. At the age of 14, Anna fell while walking home from school in the rain and injured both ankles.Wood, Naomi. "''Dark Horse: A Life of Anna Sewell''." Children's Literature Association Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 4, 2004 Through the mistreatment of the injury, she became unable to walk or stand for any length of time for the rest of her life. Disabled and unable to walk, she began learning about horses, spending many hours driving her father to and from the station from which he commuted to work. Her dependence on horse-drawn transportation fostered her respect for horses. 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. Anna Sewell never married or had children. In visits to European spas, she met many writers, artists, and philanthropists. Her only book was ''Black Beauty'', written between 1871 and 1877 in her house at

Old Catton Old Catton is a suburban village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk which lies to the north-east of central Norwich. The parish is bounded by the Norwich International Airport at Hellesdon to the west and Sprowston to the eas ...

. During this time, her health was declining, and she could barely get out of bed. Her dearly loved mother often had to help her with her illness. She sold the book to the local publishers,

Jarrold & Sons The Jarrold Group is a Norwich–based company, founded as ''Jarrold & Sons Ltd'', in 1770, by John Jarrold, at Woodbridge, Suffolk, before relocating to Norfolk in 1823. ''The Jarrold Group'' still involves members of the Jarrold family. Fami ...

. The book broke records for sales and is the "sixth best seller in the English language." 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.Anna Sewell
by Prof. Waller Hastings,

Northern State University Northern State University (NSU) is a public university in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 45 bachelor's degrees, 53 minors, six associate degrees, 16 pre-professional prog ...

, 2004
Archive.org copy
Sewell died of

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver parenchyma, liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), Anorexia (symptom), poor appetite ...

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

on 25 April 1878, only five months after the novel was published, but she lived long enough to see its initial success. She was buried on 30 April 1878 in the

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

burial-ground at Lammas near

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

, Norfolk, where a wall plaque marks her resting place. Her birthplace in Church Plain,

, is now a museum. Although ''Black Beauty'' is looked at as a children's novel, Sewell did not write the novel for children. She said that her purpose in writing the novel was "to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses"—an influence she attributed to an essay on animals she read earlier by

Horace Bushnell Horace Bushnell (April 14, 1802February 17, 1876) was an American Congregational minister and theologian. He had a marked influence upon theology in America, and wrote various books on religion. He was also a graduate from Yale Divinity School. ...

(1802–1876) entitled "Essay on Animals". Her sympathetic portrayal of the plight of

working animal A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks. Some are used for their physical strength (e.g. oxen and draft horses) or for transportation (e.g. riding horses and camels), while oth ...

s led to a vast outpouring of concern for animal welfare and is said to have been instrumental in the abolition of the cruel practice of using the checkrein (or "

bearing rein The Bearing rein also called a check rein or overcheck, is a type of rein attached to the bit on a bridle, that runs over the head of the horse, attaching to the harness saddle or pad. The primary purpose of a bearing rein is to prevent the hors ...

", a strap used to keep horses' heads high, fashionable in

Victorian England In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed th ...

but painful and damaging to a horse's neck). ''Black Beauty'' also mentions the use of blinkers on horses, concluding that this use is likely to cause accidents at night due to interference with "the full use of" a horse's ability to "see much better in the dark than men can."

Plot 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, known as Duchess, 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 In philosophy, verisimilitude (or truthlikeness) is the notion that some propositions are closer to being true than other propositions. The problem of verisimilitude is the problem of articulating what it takes for one false theory to be close ...

. The book describes conditions among London horse-drawn cab drivers, including the financial hardship caused to them by high licence fees and low, legally fixed

fare A fare is the fee paid by a passenger for use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used. Fare structure is the system set up to determine how much is to be paid by various p ...

s. A page footnote in some editions says that soon after the book was published, the difference between 6-day cab licences (not allowed to trade on Sundays) and 7-day cab licences (allowed to trade on Sundays) was abolished and the cab licence fee was much reduced.

Genre

''Black Beauty'' is considered to be one of the first fictional animal autobiographies. Originally meant to be informative literature read by adults on the norms of horse cruelty and preventions of these unjust acts, ''Black Beauty'' is now seen as a children's book. Narrated by the main character, Black Beauty, the novel is read by thousands of children worldwide.

Analysis

Sewell uses

anthropomorphism Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

in ''Black Beauty''. The text advocates the fairer treatment of horses in Victorian England. The story is narrated from Black Beauty's perspective and resultantly readers arguably gained insight into how horses suffered through their use by human beings with restrictive technical objects like the "

" and " blinkers" as well as procedures like cutting off the tails of the horses. For instance, Ginger describes the physical effects of the "bearing rein" to Black Beauty, by stating, "it is dreadful... your neck aching until you don't know how to bear it... its hurt my tongue and my jaw and the blood from my tongue covered the froth that kept flying from my lips". Tess Coslett highlights that Black Beauty's story is structured in a way that makes him similar to those he serves. The horses in the text have reactions as well as emotions and characteristics, like love and loyalty, which are similar to those of human beings. Coslett emphasizes that, while ''Black Beauty'' is not the first book written in the style of an animal autobiography, it is a novel that "allows the reader to slide in and out of horse-consciousness, blurring the human/animal divide". Dwyer suggests that "by the end of the nineteenth century the concern for animal welfare was often mediated by considerations of utility", implying that these animals (horses) were seen to get the job done by any means rather than the approach that they could be demonizing the animal.

Publications

Published in 1877, in the last years of Anna Sewell's life, ''Black Beauty'' sold over 50 million copies worldwide in 50 different languages. This different viewpoint sparked people's interest to speak for horses' well-being and implement legislation. According to Sewell, providing information was her original goal of horse injustice. Although the shift of perspectives was seen as good for some, it was also an issue to others including horse owners and people who sold such equipment for horses (equipment like blinders). It has been alleged that ''Black Beauty'' was banned in some countries, e.g. South Africa, for containing the words "Black" and "Beauty" during its apartheid restrictions on African natives. However, Claire Datnow, in her memoir ''Behind the Walled Garden of Apartheid: Growing up White in Segregated South Africa'', writes that this "fact" was a standing joke among her circle of friends, invented to make fun of the "ignorance of the censors"—the idea being that ''Black Beauty'' had been banned "because the censors thought it referred to a black woman."

Reception

Upon publication of the book, many readers related to the pain of the victimized horses, sympathized and ultimately wanted to see the introduction of reforms that would improve the well-being of horses. Two years after the release of the novel, one million copies of ''Black Beauty'' were in circulation in the United States. In addition, animal rights activists would habitually distribute copies of the novel to horse drivers and to people in stables. The depiction of the "bearing rein" in ''Black Beauty'' spurred so much outrage and empathy from readers that its use was not only abolished in Victorian England, but public interest in anti-cruelty legislation in the United States also grew significantly. The arguably detrimental social practices concerning the use of horses in ''Black Beauty'' inspired the development of legislation in various states that would condemn such abusive behaviours towards animals.Libo, Stephanie."''Black Beauty: The tale of a Horse that changed the perspective of a Nation''". Living Green Magazine. Nov. 30, 2012 The impact of the novel is still very much recognized today. Writing in the ''Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare'', Bernard Unti calls ''Black Beauty'' "the most influential anti-cruelty novel of all time". Comparisons have also been made between ''Black Beauty'' and the most important

social protest novel Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

in the United States, ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...

'', by Harriet Beecher Stowe, on account of the strong degree of outrage and protest action that both novels triggered in society.

Characters

Horses

* Darkie (Black Beauty)/Black Auster/Jack/Blackie/Old Crony: The narrator of the story, a handsome black horse. He begins his career as a carriage horse for wealthy people but when he "breaks his knees" (i.e. develops scars on the fronts of his wrist (

carpal The carpal bones are the eight small bones that make up the wrist (carpus) that connects the hand to the forearm. The terms "carpus" and "carpal" are derived from the Latin carpus and the Greek καρπός (karpós), meaning "wrist". In huma ...

) joints after a bad fall) he is no longer considered presentable enough and is put to much harder work. He passes through the hands of a series of owners, some cruel, some kind. He always tries his best to serve humans despite the circumstances. * Duchess (nicknamed "Pet"): Beauty's and Rob Roy's mother, who encourages Beauty to be good from a young age. * Rob Roy: A fellow black horse from Beauty's original farm, who is killed in a hunting incident (along with his rider, Squire Gordon's only son). It is later learned that he was Beauty's half-brother, an older son of Duchess. * Lizzie: A high-strung, nervous mare whom Lady Anne rides one day and is spooked until Black Beauty comes to her aid with his rider. * Ginger: A companion of Beauty's at Birtwick Park, she is named for her chestnut colour and her habit of biting, which is often how the spice,

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

, is described. Ginger is a more aggressive horse due to her traumatic upbringing. After being ridden by Lord George in a

steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

her

back The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...

is strained. Beauty and Ginger meet for the last time as broken-down cab horses in London, and later a cart carrying a dead horse (whom Beauty believes is Ginger), passes by Beauty. * Merrylegs: A short, dappled grey, handsome pony who is polite to humans and horses alike. He is ridden by the young daughters at Birtwick Park, then sent to live with a vicar who promises never to sell him. * Sir Oliver: An older horse whose tail was docked, to his great annoyance and discomfort. * Rory: A job horse usually paired with Black Beauty. Became a coal carting horse after getting hit in the chest by a cart driven on the wrong side of the road. * Peggy: A hired horse who cannot run very fast due to her short legs. She runs at an odd hopping pace between a trot and a canter when expected to keep pace with other horses at a fast trot. When paired with a faster horse to pull a carriage she often gets whipped for not keeping up. Sold to two ladies who wanted a safe horse. * Unnamed young horse: paired with Beauty after Peggy leaves. Often frightened by things he cannot see as he does not know whether they are dangerous or not. * Captain: A former army horse who witnessed horrific incidents in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, although he was well treated and received no serious wounds. He lost his beloved master in the

Charge of the Light Brigade The Charge of the Light Brigade was a military action undertaken by British light cavalry against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, resulting in many casualties to the cavalry. On 25 October 1854, the Light Br ...

. He became a cab-horse for Jerry, where he works with Black Beauty. After a penetrating shoulder injury from a carriage pole due to a collision with a carriage whose driver was drunk, Jerry has him shot rather than send him to work as a cart-horse. * Hotspur: A five-year-old horse bought to replace Captain. Jerry sells him to Grant when he leaves London. * Justice: A calm peaceful horse that Beauty meets at Birtwick Park.

Beauty's owners

Part 1

* Farmer Grey: Beauty's first owner, a good kind man who trains him well. * Mr. Douglas Gordon (Squire Gordon): A very kind and loving master who was also the squire. Lives in Birtwick Park. Has to sell Beauty and Ginger when he leaves the country because of his wife's illness. * Mr. John Manly: Black Beauty's groom at Squire Gordon's. * Mr. James Howard: John Manly's assistant at Squire Gordon's. He leaves to work as a coachman for Sir Clifford Williams. * Mr. Joseph Green (Joe): A kind boy who replaces James at Squire Gordon's hall. Beauty becomes seriously ill after little Joe gives Beauty a pail of cold water to drink and then assumes Beauty does not need a blanket, all after a long, exhausting gallop. * Bill: A boy who keeps thrashing and whipping a pony to attempt to make him jump a fence. * Mrs. Bushby: Bill's mother who is worried when she hears that he fell into a bush.

Part 2

* Earl of W: Purchases Beauty and Ginger from Squire Gordon. Lives in Earlshall Park. * Lady W: Wife of Lord W. Demands that Beauty and Ginger wear bearing reins to hold their heads up high. When York tries to comply with Lady W's order Ginger lashes out, kicking everything around her. * Mr. York: Earl of W's coachman. He treats the horses kindly but is scared to speak for the horses. * Reuben Smith: A first-rate driver who can treat a horse as well as a

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adju ...

, due to spending two years with a veterinary surgeon, and being an ostler at an inn. Unfortunately he occasionally drinks heavily. Though York tries to hide this problem, the Earl finds out and fires Reuben. York later convinces the Earl to rehire him. After taking Colonel Blantyre to town Reuben gets drunk in the

White Lion White Lion is an American glam metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, they released their debut album ''Fight to Survive ...

, then rides Beauty back to Earlshall Park. Due to a loose nail in Beauty's

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

, which Reuben was too drunk to care about, Beauty's shoe comes off. Reuben then makes Beauty gallop over sharp stones injuring Beauty's hoof and causing him to stumble. Beauty falls and scrapes his knees, while Reuben is flung off Beauty and dies from a

cervical spine In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In sauro ...

fracture. * Master of the livery stables: Buys Beauty and hires him out to people in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

who wish to rent a horse. Some of the people who rent Beauty are good drivers, most are not. * Mr. Barry: Buys Beauty from the livery stables after his friend rents Beauty several times, as his doctor advised him to get more horse exercise. He tries to treat horses well but hires two bad grooms (a

thief Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal short ...

and a

humbug A humbug is a person or object that behaves in a deceptive or dishonest way, often as a hoax or in jest. The term was first described in 1751 as student slang, and recorded in 1840 as a "nautical phrase". It is now also often used as an exclamat ...

) due to his lack of knowledge on horse care. Decides to sell Beauty at a horse fair.

Part 3

* Mr. Jeremiah (Jerry) Barker: A kind owner and religious man who uses Beauty and Captain as cab horses. After Captain is injured he buys Hotspur to replace him. Refuses to work on Sunday or force his horses to go beyond a 'jog-trot' through London for customers with poor timekeeping, although he will break these rules for a good cause. One New Year's Eve, Jerry is kept waiting in blizzard conditions by inconsiderate young men who stayed too long playing cards, contracts

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

, and nearly dies. Jerry's doctor tells him he must not return to cab work. Jerry takes a job with Mrs. Fowler as her coachman. * Mrs. Polly Barker: Wife of Jerry. Always waits up for her husband. * Mr. Harry Barker: Son of Jerry. Helps his father look after the horses. * Miss Dorothy (Dolly) Barker: Daughter of Jerry. Often brings food to her father. * Mr. (Grey / Governor) Grant: a respected and long-serving cab driver. When Jerry is ill he takes out Hotspur and gives Jerry half the money he makes.

Part 4

* Corn dealer/baker Steven: Uses Beauty as a workhorse. Works him fairly but due to the poor lighting in Beauty's stable Beauty nearly goes blind. * Foreman: Has Beauty overloaded so that fewer journeys are required to deliver goods. * Mr. Jakes: A carter who works for the baker. Dislikes overloading Beauty but cannot go against the foreman. Makes Beauty work with the bearing rein up until a lady shows him that Beauty would find it easier to pull the cart without the bearing rein. * Mr. Nicholas Skinner: A ruthless cab-horse owner who charges a high fee for renting cab horses. As a result, the only way the drivers who rent his horse can make money is by overworking the horse, usually by whipping the horse to make it move even when tired. When Beauty collapses from overwork, Skinner plans to send Beauty to a

knacker A knacker (), knackerman or knacker man is a person who removes and clears animal carcasses (dead, dying, injured) from private farms or public highways and renders the collected carcasses into by-products such as fats, tallow ( yellow gre ...

but a farrier convinces him to rest Beauty and sell him at a horse fair. Seedy Sam used to rent horses from him. * Willie: Grandson of Farmer Thoroughgood who wants to help Black Beauty when he comes to the market with his grandfather. * Farmer Thoroughgood: A kind owner who cares for Black Beauty when he is at his weakest. * The three ladies: Beauty's final home, where he spends the rest of his days very well treated. The ladies are Miss Blomefield, Miss Ellen, and Miss Lavinia and are most likely sisters. * Joseph (Joe) Green: Coachman for the three ladies. Recognizes Beauty as the horse that used to belong to Squire Gordon.

Film adaptations

The book has been adapted into film and television several times, including: * '' Your Obedient Servant'' (1917), directed by

Edward H. Griffith Edward H. Griffith (August 23, 1888 – March 3, 1975) (also known as E H Griffith, Lieut. Edward H. Griffith, Edward Griffith, and E. H. Griffith) was an American film director, motion picture director, screenwriter, and producer. Biography ...

* ''

Black Beauty ''Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse'' is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was written from a horse as main character's perspective. She wrote it in the last years of her life, during which s ...

'' (1921), directed by

* ''

'' (1946), directed by

Max Nosseck Max Nosseck (19 September 1902 – 29 September 1972) was a German film director, actor, and screenwriter. Biography Nosseck was born in Nakel, then in Prussia, but now in Poland. Nosseck established himself as a director in the Cinema of Germany, ...

* ''

'' (1971), directed by James Hill * ''

The Adventures of Black Beauty ''The Adventures of Black Beauty'' is a British adventure family television series produced by London Weekend Television and shown by ITV in the United Kingdom between 1972 and 1974. It was distributed internationally by London Weekend Interna ...

'' (1972–1974), a TV series produced by

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...

and shown by

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

* ''

'' (1978) by

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

* ''

'' (1978), a TV mini-series * ''

'' (1987) by

Burbank Films Australia Burbank Animation Studios was an Australian film animation production company, formerly named Burbank Films Australia. History The company's first animated productions in 1982 were a series of adaptations of books from Charles Dickens; these ...

* ''

'' (1994), a film starring Docs Keepin Time * ''

'' (2020) by

Constantin Film Constantin Film AG is a German film production company based in Munich. The company, which belongs to Swiss media conglomerate Highlight Communications AG, is a large independent German maker and distributor of productions. Constantin has releas ...

and distributed by

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

starring

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Primarily known for her roles as headstrong and complicated women in independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Ac ...

* ''

Beyond Black Beauty ''Beyond Black Beauty'' is a Canadian- Belgian youth drama series, which premiered in 2024.Ronda Racha Penrice"‘Beyond Black Beauty’ brings together an 1877 classic novel and a Black family in Baltimore" NBC News, October 16, 2024. Inspired ...

'', a streaming series for

Amazon Freevee Amazon Freevee (stylized as freevee and fv, also shortened as Freevee, formerly known as IMDb Freedive and IMDb TV, and sometimes spelled FV) is an American Free ad-supported streaming television, ad-supported video on demand, video-on-demand ( ...

Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...

* Additionally, in 1966

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

produced an LP adaptation on its Disneyland Records label with music by Disney's musical director at the time,

Tutti Camarata Salvador "Tutti" Camarata (May 11, 1913 – April 13, 2005) was an American composer, arranger, trumpeter, and record producer. He was also known as "Toots" Camarata. Early life and career Camarata was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, United Sta ...

, complete with narration and singing by

Robie Lester Robie Lester (March 23, 1925 – June 14, 2005) was an American voice artist, actress, and singer, best known as the voice of "Miss Jessica" in the Rankin/Bass animated special ''Santa Claus is Comin' to Town'', the singing voice of Eva Gab ...

similar to an

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

program. Disney never directly made an animated or live-action version, but they did finally purchase the distribution rights to the version listed above.

Theatrical adaptations

* ''Black Beauty'' (1998), a musical adaptation with book and lyrics by

Mindi Dickstein Mindi Dickstein is an American lyricist and librettist. Dickstein wrote the lyrics for the 2005 Broadway musical production ''Little Women'', based on the 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. It began previews at The Virginia Theater ...

and music by Daniel Messé * ''Black Beauty Live'' (2011), adapted by James Stone and directed by Chris Ford ''Black Beauty'' was adapted for the stage in 2011 by playwright James Stone. The play was performed at the Broughton Hall Estate, North Yorkshire and Epsom Racecourse, Surrey. The production was a critical success and was performed around the UK in 2012.

Influence upon other works

* ''

Beautiful Joe ''Beautiful Joe'' is an 1893 novel by Margaret Marshall Saunders which contributed to worldwide awareness of animal cruelty. The story is based on a dog of the same name from the town of Meaford, Ontario. The real Beautiful Joe The real Bea ...

'' 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 Strike at Shane's: A Prize Story of Indiana'' is an anonymous American novel that won a monetary award and national publication in 1893 in a contest sponsored by the American Humane Society, and was reprinted several times commercially thereafter. Described in the introduction as a "Sequel to ''Black Beauty''"', it tells the story of good and bad treatment of farm animals and local wildlife, especially songbirds, in the America Midwest. The novel is generally attributed as the first published work of the novelist Gene Stratton Porter, and bears a remarkable textual similarity to her other books. * One of the most popular of the interwar pony stories for children, ''Moorland Mousie'' (1929), by 'Golden Gorse' (Muriel Wace), is heavily influenced by ''Black Beauty''. * Phyllis Briggs wrote a sequel called ''Son of Black Beauty'', published in 1950. * The Pullein-Thompson sisters wrote several stories concerning relatives of Black Beauty. They are "Black Ebony" (1975; by Josephine), "Black Velvet" (1975; by

Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on Stephen King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' ( ...

), "Black Princess" (1975; by

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

), "Black Nightshade" (1978; by Josephine), "Black Romany" (1978; by Diana), "Blossom" (1978; by Christine), "Black Piper" (1982; by Diana), "Black Raven" (1982; by Josephine) and "Black Pioneer" (1982; by Christine). The book ''Black Swift'' (1991) by Josephine is not about a Black Beauty relative. These were published in several compilations as well as some of them being available separately. Each compilation was subsequently republished, sometimes with a change of name. *

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...

wrote a parody of the novel called '' Black Beauty According to Spike Milligan'' (1996).

References

External links

*
''Black Beauty''
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

(scanned books; original editions; colour illustrated). (plain text and HTML)
''Black Beauty''
Penguin Readers Fact Sheet.
Read more about the history of the pony story
() * {{Authority control 1870s children's books 1877 British novels 19th-century British children's literature Books about animal welfare British children's novels British novels adapted into films British novels adapted into plays Fiction about animal cruelty English novels British novels adapted into television shows Novels set in England 1877 debut novels Jarrold Publishing books Children's novels about horses Children's books set in England

Background

Plot summary

Genre

Analysis

Publications

Reception

Characters

Horses

Beauty's owners

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Film adaptations

Theatrical adaptations

Influence upon other works

See also

References

External links