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Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse
by Sewell, Anna; Illustrated by Cecil Aldin
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very good
- Seller
-
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co, 1913. Hardcover. Very good. Presumed first edition with Aldin's illustrations?! Gilt, black and white stamped blue cloth boards, octavo, illustrated in color. Book has rubbing and soil to boards and spine, mild wear to corners and spine ends, binding tight, previous owner's signature and date (1916) to front endpaper, otherwise text clean and unmarked but toned throughout, with foxing to edges of block.
Synopsis
First published under the full title: Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions. The Autobiography of a Horse. Translated from the Equine, by Jarrold and Sons London in 1877, the novel now known as simply Black Beauty was written by English author Anna Sewell. The first American editions from 1890 have the added title ' The “Uncle Tom's Cabin” of the Horse' as promoters of the novel hoped it would do for animal welfare what Stowe's novel did for the abolition of slavery. Anna Sewell was born in 1820 in Great Yarmouth, England. She suffered an accident as a child that left her crippled and dependent on carriage horses as her main source of mobility. She began writing Black Beauty in 1871, and continued through 1877 though her health was deteriorating. In December 1876 she wrote in her diary "I have been confined to the house and to my sofa, from time to time, when I am able, been writing what I think will turn out a little book, its special aim being to induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment of horses". Her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, was a successful children's author, and Anna helped edit her books, and later her mother helped Anna transcribe Black Beauty . An animal autobiography, told by the magnificent black horse himself, this is the dramatic and heartwarming tale of Black Beauty's life-from his idyllic days on a country squire's estate to his harsh fate as a London cab horse. Although not originally intended as a children's novel, but for people who work with horses, it soon became a children's classic. Two years after the release of Black Beauty in the United States there were one million copies in circulation. Today Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books in history, with over 50 million copies sold in 50 different languages. The earliest dated inscribed copies are Christmas 1877. Although the book was an immediate bestseller, Sewell lived just long enough to see her first and only novel become a success – she died on 25 April 1878.
Read More: Identifying first editions of Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse
Reviews
On Sep 8 2005, Marydeme said:
While living at Squire Gordon's country estate, the spirited young horse, Black Beauty, is well taken care of an happy. But when the squire is forced to sell off his horses, Black Beauty's life changes as he is passed from one curel master to another. After much hardship and perseverance, Black Beauty finds a home full of love and kindness.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Common Crow Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- B61836
- Title
- Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse
- Author
- Sewell, Anna; Illustrated by Cecil Aldin
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Frederick A. Stokes Co
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1913
- Keywords
- Children's Books
Terms of Sale
Common Crow Books
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About the Seller
Common Crow Books
Biblio member since 2005
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
About Common Crow Books
Common Crow's warehouse has around 75,000 books online. We specialize in unusual books in the humanities including poetry, philosophy, history, literature and art.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
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