Black Beauty: The Greatest Horse Story Ever Told

Anna Sewell

Dec 2020 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Juliet Stevenson

About this audiobook

The story of noble Black Beauty is one of the most popular children's books of all time.

In this sensitive children's adaptation, Beauty movingly describes the friends, people and places - good and bad - that he encounters in the course of his dramatic life as he is passed from master to master.

Anna Sewell wrote her book in the late 19th century as an attempt to improve the conditions of the working horse. It remains a unique document of a time when horses were the main means of transport and a heartfelt message against cruelty to animals. While primarily teaching about animal rights, it also looks at how to treat people with kindness, sympathy, and respect.

In this audiobook, a beautiful soundscape transports readers to the heart of each scene. Beauty's narrative is complemented by hundreds of facts about cab horses and carriage horses in town and country and the practicalities of their treatment and ill-treatment.

This powerful audiobook and its fascinating context can be enjoyed and understood by a new generation of animal lovers.

Narrated by the formidable Juliet Stevenson, who has over read 140 audiobooks, she brings the characters of Black Beauty to life.

© 1887; 1997 Anna Sewell; Caryn Jenner © 2000 DK Audio

Ratings and reviews

I have listened to the CD version of this exact audio version of Black Beauty since I was a kid and it is amazing, the use horse hooves and carriage noises add a nice touch for immersion into the story. It is the only version of the audio book I will listen to and I am so excited to find a digital version as my CD is starting to skip.

About the author

Anna Sewell (1820-78) was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Black Beauty, her only book, was completed and published in 1877, just a few months before she died, so she did not live to know of the book's huge success. Apart from being a good story, Black Beauty was instrumental in changing people's attitudes towards horses, and domestic animals in general.