Black Beauty

Over fifty stunning illustrations from acclaimed artist Christian Birmingham bring this treasured classic new life.

When Black Beauty was born one sweet spring day, he could not have imagined the life ahead of him. Following his mother’s advice to do his work with a good will, he enjoys the adventures of country and city life, makes new friends, and suffers from the cruelty and greed of his human masters. Beauty faces each challenge with bravery and kindness — and then a chance encounter with an old friend brings him the greatest joy of all. Anna Sewell’s classic horse story has captivated generations of readers since it was first published 140 years ago. This enchanting edition features the full unabridged text and Christian Birmingham’s gorgeous color and black-and-white illustrations depicting Beauty’s nineteenth-century world.

Anna Sewell was a British writer who wrote Black Beauty in the last years of her life, never knowing how successful the novel would become or how instrumental it would be in inspiring reforms in laws and attitudes toward animal welfare.

Christian Birmingham is the illustrator of numerous books, including A Kitten Called Moonlight by Martin Waddell, Footprints on the Moon by Mark Haddon, and The Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo. His illustrated edition of The Night Before Christmas has sold 1.5 million copies worldwide. He lives in England.