"There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to other animals as well as humans, it is all a sham."— Anna Sewell, Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
The writer of Black Beauty
Anna Sewell was born in a small town on the English coast. Her family were Quakers, members of a Christian group that believed in simple living, kindness, and pacifism. Anna grew up reading the Bible and walking the countryside with her younger brother Philip.
When Anna was 14, she slipped while walking home from school and hurt both her ankles badly. They never healed right. For the rest of her life she struggled to walk, and used a small horse-drawn carriage called a pony chaise to get around.
Quick Facts
- Born: March 30, 1820
- From: Great Yarmouth, England
- Job: Writer (one book only)
- Famous for: Black Beauty
Anna only published one book in her entire life, but Black Beauty became one of the bestselling children's books in history. She died just five months after it was published, never knowing how famous it would become.
Her One Book
Read Black Beauty on Worldly
Black Beauty is told by a horse, in his own voice, looking back on his whole life. It's gentle and sad and brave. On Worldly, every page fits your reading level.
Her Life, Year by Year
One quiet life, one world-changing book
Anna Sewell's whole life was small, quiet, and full of pain. Then she wrote one book that changed a lot.
Born to a Quaker family
Anna Sewell is born in Great Yarmouth, England, to a Quaker family. Her younger brother Philip is born two years later.
The fall that changed everything
14-year-old Anna slips and hurts both her ankles severely. They never heal properly. She'll use a horse-drawn carriage to get around for the rest of her life.
She becomes a translator
Anna helps her mother, a children's-book writer, with translations and editing work. She doesn't try to write her own books yet.
She starts Black Beauty
Now 51 and very sick, Anna begins writing Black Beauty. She can barely sit up, so she dictates the book to her mother in short sessions over six years.
Black Beauty is published
Anna finishes Black Beauty. The book is published in November 1877.
She dies five months later
Anna dies five months after her book is published, age 58. She never knows that Black Beauty will sell over 50 million copies and become one of the bestselling books in history. The book also helps end the cruel use of bearing reins.
Why Black Beauty Mattered
Three things one book did
Anna wrote Black Beauty hoping to teach people kindness toward horses. It worked, and changed more than she ever could have imagined.
Black Beauty · 1877
Told from the horse's view
No one had ever written a popular novel from an animal's first-person point of view before. Beauty tells his own story, and readers feel what it's like to be the horse.
Black Beauty · 1877
It ended a cruel practice
Anna's book made the public hate bearing reins, which forced horses to hold their heads painfully high. The reins were quickly abandoned in England, and laws followed.
Black Beauty · 1877
It inspired animal welfare
Animal protection groups around the world handed out copies of Black Beauty as fundraising and awareness tools. The book directly inspired modern animal-welfare movements.
Wait… really?!
Six surprising things about Anna Sewell
Black Beauty is her ONLY book
Anna Sewell wrote just one book in her whole life. She dictated it from her sickbed over six years. It became one of the bestselling kids' books in history.
She died just months after it was published
Anna passed away only five months after Black Beauty came out. She never knew how famous her book would become.
It sold over 50 million copies
Black Beauty has been translated into more than 50 languages and has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. It's one of the bestselling books of all time.
It helped end bearing reins
Bearing reins were leather straps that forced horses to keep their heads painfully high while pulling carriages. After Black Beauty came out, public outrage led to the practice being abandoned.
She dictated it to her mother
Because Anna was too sick to write much herself, she spoke the book aloud to her mother, who wrote it down. The whole novel was composed this way over six years.
She loved horses her whole life
Because her injured ankles made walking hard, Anna spent her whole adult life with horses. She knew them deeply, and her affection for them is on every page of her book.
Good questions, answered
Anna Sewell FAQ
Did Anna really only write one book?+
Yes. Black Beauty was her only published book. She spent six years dictating it to her mother from her sickbed, and she died five months after it was published.
Why did she write it?+
Anna wanted to teach people to be kinder to horses. She had seen horses treated cruelly all her life, and she hoped a book told from a horse's own point of view would change how people felt.
Did the book really change things?+
Yes! Black Beauty helped end the cruel use of bearing reins in England, and it directly inspired modern animal-welfare laws and societies.
What age is Black Beauty good for?+
Black Beauty works as a read-aloud from age 6 and as a chapter book from age 8 or 9. Some parts are sad, but the book is gentle overall. The Worldly version is adapted to fit each reader's level.
Is Black Beauty a true story?+
It's fiction, but Anna based it on real horses she knew and real cruelty she'd witnessed. The book feels true because Anna understood horses so well.
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