HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. '...we call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.' When his beloved owners are forced to sell him, Black Beauty leaves his life as a young, care-free colt behind him and embarks on a working life of misery. Cruelly treated by his new masters, Anna Sewell rails against animal mistreatment in this poignant tale of a horse whose spirit can not be broken.

Black Beauty was written in 1877 and was subtitled "The Autobiography of a Horse." It quickly became known as the best-loved animal story. In addition to this, the book achieved its aim to "induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment of horses." The story was used first by George Angell, founder of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and then by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. At a time when horses were relied upon for transport, the horse was the animal most likely to be abused. This book, by telling the story through the eyes of the animal, changed people's attitudes.This abridged version comes with the original illustration on the front and with all the original illustrations in black and white throughout the book.

With fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time. Its message is universal and timeless: animals will serve humans well if they are treated well. While promoting animal welfare, Black Beauty also teaches how to treat people with kindness, sympathy, and respect.

Black Beauty faces human cruelty and mistreatment in a world that cares little for the happiness of animals. Written in graphic-novel format. These reader-favorite tiles are now updated for enhanced Common Core State Standards support, including discussion and writing prompts developed by a Common Core expert, an expanded introduction, bolded glossary words and dynamic new covers."

Black Beauty, the autobiography of a horse, is one of the most sensitive animal stories ever written.

When Black Beauty was still a colt, her mother called to her, and spoke to her.

"Pay attention," mother said, "to what I tell you: The colts who live here are very good colts, but they are cart-horse colts, and of course they have not learned manners. You have been well-bred and well-born; your father has a great name in these parts, and your grandfather won the cup two years at the Newmarket races; your grandmother had the sweetest temper of any horse I ever knew, and I think you have never seen me kick or bite. I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways; do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick even in play. . . ."

They were words the horse was never to forget, no matter how far from that meadow the trail of her life led her -- and it led her very, ver far indeed.

BLACK BEAUTY YOUNG FOLKS' EDITION The first place that I can well remember was a pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside. While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her. When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees, and when it was cold we had a warm shed near the grove...

One of the most popular animal stories of all time, Anna Sewell's < I>Black Beauty< /I> was first published in 1877. Drawn from the original text and intended for even the youngest of horse lovers, < I>Black Beauty's Early Days in the Meadow< /I> depicts the first few months of the horse's life as a foal frolicking in the meadow. Artist Jane Monroe Donovan renders the classic story in lush oil paintings that convey a pastoral world of green fields and shady trees, while tenderly capturing the special love between mare and foal. The perfect harmony of words and pictures proves once again that the simplest messages are often the strongest. Readers will relish the sweetness of life in the meadow and the companionship of family and friends.

Black Beauty is a perennial children's favourite, one which has never been out of print since its publication in 1877. It is a moralistic tale of the life of the horse related in the form of an autobiography, describing the world through the eyes of the creature. In taking this anthropomorphic approach, the author Anna Sewell broke new literary ground and her effective storytelling ability makes it very easy for the reader to accept the premise that a horse is recounting the exploits in the narrative. The gentle thoroughbred, Black Beauty, is raised with care and is treated well until a vicious groom injures him. The damaged horse is then sold to various masters at whose hands he experiences cruelty and neglect. After many unpleasant episodes, including one where he becomes a painfully overworked cab horse in London, Black Beauty finally canters towards a happy ending. Although Anna Sewell's classic is set firmly in the Victorian period, its message is universal and timeless: animals will serve humans well if they are treated with consideration and kindness. There have been many film and television adaptations of the story, but it is only the novel that captures the authentic voice of the central character.

The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank. While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her. When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees, and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove.

Anna Sewell's story of the horse, Black Beauty, and his experiences in life with his various owners - some kind, some cruel. Classics Illustrated tells this wonderful tale in colourful comic strip form, offering an excellent introduction for younger readers. This edition also includes a biography of Anna Sewell, theme discussions and study questions, which can be used both in the classroom and at home to further engage the reader in the story.

"The most influential anticruelty novel of all time."-Bernard Unti Black Beauty (1877), the only novel from Anna Sewell, was the first book ever written from the singular viewpoint of an animal. The fictional narrative, told by Black Beauty, a genial thoroughbred, was initially written by the author "to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses." Over time the book has become a classic book for children, despite its initial adult readership. The book is considered the advent of the Anthropomorphic literary genre. Black Beauty, the gentle horse and narrator of the story, begins with recollection of an idyllic youth with his mother and other kind horses. When Black Beauty is four years old, his owner sells him to Squire Gordon, who provides a caring home among other horses. One of the squire's other horses, a headstrong chestnut named Ginger, becomes Black Beauty's best friend. When the squire's wife becomes seriously ill, the couple are forced to sell their horses; in a heartbreaking turn of events, Black Beauty is sold in a succession of transactions where he is mistreated, overworked, and separated from Ginger. Although scarred, Black Beauty is resilient and eventually is returned to a life of kindness and care. This deeply moving story aimed towards the awareness of animal welfare was influential reforms in the laws regarding the treatment of horses; yet, its enduring legacy is the massage of compassion that has touched readers for more than 200 years. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Black Beauty is both modern and readable.

"The most influential anticruelty novel of all time."-Bernard Unti Black Beauty (1877), the only novel from Anna Sewell, was the first book ever written from the singular viewpoint of an animal. The fictional narrative, told by Black Beauty, a genial thoroughbred, was initially written by the author "to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses." Over time the book has become a classic book for children, despite its initial adult readership. The book is considered the advent of the Anthropomorphic literary genre. Black Beauty, the gentle horse and narrator of the story, begins with recollection of an idyllic youth with his mother and other kind horses. When Black Beauty is four years old, his owner sells him to Squire Gordon, who provides a caring home among other horses. One of the squire's other horses, a headstrong chestnut named Ginger, becomes Black Beauty's best friend. When the squire's wife becomes seriously ill, the couple are forced to sell their horses; in a heartbreaking turn of events, Black Beauty is sold in a succession of transactions where he is mistreated, overworked, and separated from Ginger. Although scarred, Black Beauty is resilient and eventually is returned to a life of kindness and care. This deeply moving story aimed towards the awareness of animal welfare was influential reforms in the laws regarding the treatment of horses; yet, its enduring legacy is the massage of compassion that has touched readers for more than 200 years. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Black Beauty is both modern and readable.

"Where we saw people who loved their neighbors, and were kind to man and beast, we might know that was God's mark." -Anna Sewell, Black Beauty Anna Sewell's 1877 classic, Black Beauty, is considered to be one of the foremost works in animal welfare literature and a leading work in the children's pony book genre. Narrated by the horse himself, the book follows his trials and tribulations as he passes from one owner to another and experiences the full spectrum of human treatment-from the knowledgeable and kind to the ignorant and cruel. Beloved by children and animal lovers alike, Black Beauty is now available as part of the Word Cloud Classic series, making it a chic and affordable addition to any library.

After a wonderful early life as a young colt on Farmer Gray's meadows, the stallion Black Beauty is sold to Squire Gordon of Birtwick Hall and joins the gentleman's stables. While his existence is no longer as carefree as before and he has to be trained by humans, he enjoys the company of the other horses there, such as the fiery Ginger and the kind Merrylegs. Unfortunately one day he is sold on to new owners, and a new chapter opens in his life, full of uncertainty, hardship and cruelty. Will Black Beauty ever make it back home, or reconnect with the people and horses that cared about him?

This Oxford Children's Classic features the complete unabridged text, an introduction by Hannah Gold, and other bonus material including insights for readers, facts, activities, and more . . . As a young horse, Black Beauty is kindly treated and well cared for, but after he is scarred in an accident his fortunes start to change. From high-stepping thoroughbred to downtrodden cab horse, Black Beauty's story remains one of the most moving novels ever written about an animal's life.