Black Beauty in English

Anna Sewell

originalC1.4year1877genreClassicsvibeTenderJusticeHomeaudioUSUK

A horse looks back on his life and tells us what it is like to belong to people who may be kind or cruel.

The book is the horse's autobiography, told in the first person in short chapters of two or three pages. It follows one long line, from his foal days to his working years, and each owner brings a new place and a new lesson. Most chapters are small scenes: a runaway, a fire in the stable, a storm, a night ride to fetch a doctor. The tone is calm and plain, and the narrator never pretends to know more than a horse could. Sewell wrote it to make readers think about how horses are treated, and that purpose shapes every episode.

What kind of book“Black Beauty” is

Versions of “Black Beauty” in English: B1

Same book, adapted to a level you can read without stopping

levelA1–A2B1–B2C1–C2pagesaudiobook

Vocabulary by level

A1 68%
A2 14%
B1 7%
B2 6%
not in dictionary 2%

A sample from “Black Beauty” in English

One passage, the way each version writes it.

Tap any word — we will show the translation

Original · C1.4252 words

My Early Home

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.

As soon as I was old enough to eat grass my mother used to go out to work in the daytime, and come back in the evening.

There were six young colts in the meadow besides me; they were older than I was; some were nearly as large as grownup horses. I used to run with them, and had great fun; we used to gallop all together round and round the field, as hard as we could go. Sometimes we had rather rough play, for they would frequently bite and kick as well as gallop.

B1.8262 words

My Early Home

The first place I remember was a big field with a pond. Trees gave shade, and flowers grew at the deep end. On one side we saw a plowed field. On the other side we saw our master's house. At the top of the field there were fir trees. At the bottom there was a small river.

When I was young, I drank my mother's milk. I could not eat grass. In the day I ran next to her. At night I slept close to her. When it was hot, we stood by the pond in the shade. When it was cold, we had a warm shed.

When I was old enough to eat grass, my mother went to work in the day and came back in the evening.

There were six young horses in the field with me. They were older than me. Some were almost as big as grown horses. I ran with them and had fun. We ran around the field fast. Sometimes we played rough. They bit and kicked.

One day, there was a lot of kicking. My mother called me to her and said:

"Listen to me. The horses here are good, but they are work horses. They did not learn good manners. You come from a good family. Your father is famous. Your grandfather won a race. Your grandmother had a sweet temper. I never kick or bite. I hope you grow up gentle and good. Do your work well. Lift your feet when you trot. Never bite or kick, even in play."

The same passage at different levelsContinue in the reader

The original language of “Black Beauty” and what it gives you

How hard the language is C1.4

The words are simple: 68% of the vocabulary is A1 and another 14% is A2, only 2% is outside the dictionary, and only 3% is beyond the 5000 most frequent words. The book has about 3,900 different word forms in almost 60,000 words, so the same words come back often. The sentences are the one thing to watch: they average 23.3 words, which is long for such plain vocabulary. Our estimate for the original is B1, and the adaptation we ship is A2.

What this means in practice: Plain words and long sentences: a good, gentle book for steady reading practice.

What to be ready for

Horse narrator. The whole story is told in the first person by a horse, in plain and polite English without slang.

Victorian setting. The English is nineteenth-century British, so you meet words for carriages, harness and stables that are no longer in everyday use.

Long, simple sentences. Sentences often join several short ideas with 'and' and commas, so they are long but easy to follow.

Repeated vocabulary. Words for horses, roads, stables and weather come back in almost every chapter, so you learn them quickly.

How to read it and not quit

Learn the main horse words once and then let them repeat: 'groom', 'stable', 'harness', 'reins' and 'carriage' appear all the time.
Long sentences are usually several short facts joined by 'and', 'but' and commas, so look for each verb and read one idea at a time.
Pay attention to the past tenses: the narrator remembers events, so 'had done' and 'used to' often mark what happened earlier.
Do not worry about period words you cannot guess: skip words like 'ostler' or 'hansom' and keep reading, because the story still makes sense.

Contents of “Black Beauty” · 53 chapters

Part Ipage 1
Ipage 1
IIpage 3
IIIpage 6
IVpage 11
Vpage 14

All 53 chapters

VIpage 18
VIIpage 20
VIIIpage 24
IXpage 29
Xpage 31
XIpage 36
XIIpage 39
XIIIpage 42
XIVpage 44
XVpage 46
XVIpage 49
XVIIpage 51
XVIIIpage 56
XIXpage 60
XXpage 62
XXIpage 64
Part IIpage 66
XXIIpage 66
XXIIIpage 71
XXIVpage 74
XXVpage 79
XXVIpage 82
XXVIIpage 85
XXVIIIpage 87
XXIXpage 89
XXXpage 95
XXXIpage 97
Part IIIpage 100
XXXIIpage 100
XXXIIIpage 102
XXXIVpage 105
XXXVpage 108
XXXVIpage 114
XXXVIIpage 118
XXXVIIIpage 121
XXXIXpage 126
XLpage 129
XLIpage 130
XLIIpage 133
XLIIIpage 135
XLIVpage 138
XLVpage 142
Part IVpage 149
XLVIpage 149
XLVIIpage 152
XLVIIIpage 156
XLIXpage 159

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The story of “Black Beauty”

1877
Published by Jarrold & Sons
The book appeared in the autumn of 1877 from the Norwich publisher Jarrold & Sons, as a plea for the kind treatment of horses.
1878
Sewell dies
Anna Sewell died in April 1878, only months after the book came out, so she saw only the start of its success.
1890
American edition promoted by the animal-welfare movement
George T. Angell, founder of the Massachusetts SPCA and of the American Humane Education Society, brought out an American edition and had it widely distributed, helping make the book a bestseller in the United States.
Written by an invalid author
Anna Sewell wrote the book in the last years of her life, when illness kept her indoors and she could hardly walk. It was her only novel, and she is reported to have dictated much of it to her mother.
A campaign against the bearing rein
The book's picture of horses forced to hold their heads up with a tight rein became associated with the campaign against that practice in Britain.

In culture “Black Beauty”

8 adaptations and mentions, 1921–2020

1921
Film Vitagraph's silent film
An early American silent version that carried the horse's story onto the screen.
1946
Film The 20th Century Fox film
A Hollywood version, shot in colour, that moved the story towards a sentimental horse-and-girl tale.
1972
Series The Adventures of Black Beauty
A British ITV series that kept the horse's name but invented new episodes around him; for many viewers this became their Black Beauty.
1994
Film Black Beauty (Warner Bros.)
A film directed by Caroline Thompson that restored the horse's own narration and kept the book's cruel passages.
2020
Film Black Beauty (Disney+)
A modern version in which the mare Beauty is voiced by Kate Winslet and the story is moved closer to our own time.
In the language "Black Beauty" as a name for any dark horse
The title is now used to mean any glossy black horse, and for many people it is the first horse they name.
In the language The bearing rein
The tight rein the book condemns became the thing readers remember about it, and the phrase stands for a cruel fashion that people kept up because it looked good.
In the language The animal narrates
The idea that an animal can tell the story of human cruelty in its own voice, which the book established as a way of arguing for animal welfare and which later animal stories use.

Questions and answers about “Black Beauty” in English

Is Black Beauty based on a true story?

No, the story is fiction, but it is based on real practices of Sewell's time. Many of the cruelties it describes, such as tight reins on carriage horses, were common in Victorian England.

Why is Black Beauty told by a horse?

Sewell wanted readers to see how horses were treated from the horse's own point of view. A narrator who feels pain and fear makes the argument more direct than a human observer could.

Is Black Beauty a children's book?

It is read by children, but it was written for anyone who works with or depends on horses. It is simple in language, but several chapters deal with cruelty, illness and death.

Is it a sad book?

Yes, in places. Several horses suffer and some die, but the tone stays calm and the book is not all misery. Kind owners and moments of peace appear in every part.

Who are Ginger and Merrylegs?

They are two of the horses Black Beauty meets in his first stable. Ginger is proud and has been badly treated, and Merrylegs is a small, cheerful pony.

Where does the story take place?

Mostly in the English countryside and in London. The book follows the horse from a country farm and a large house to the busy city streets, and the places are described through what a horse sees and does there.

Is there a good film or series of Black Beauty?

There are several films and television series, and they usually pick a few episodes from the book. Because the book is a chain of short scenes, adaptations tend to differ a lot from each other.

Do I need to know about horses to read it?

No, the book explains what it needs to explain, and the horse words repeat so often that you learn them as you read. A little interest in animals helps, but it is not required.

Who is this book not for?

It is not for readers who want a fast plot or who cannot bear to read about animals suffering. It is a quiet book with a clear message about kindness.

In brief about “Black Beauty”

17 fields of imprint data and measured text characteristics. All of it checkable.

Original title: Black Beauty
Author: Anna Sewell
First published: 1877
Original language: English
Genre: Classics · Animals · Adventure
Mood: Tender
Themes: Justice · Home · Loyalty
Setting: England, from a country farm and a squire's park to the streets of London · Victorian England, the 1800s
Distinct words: 3,902

Words per sentence: 23 words
Level of the original: C1.4
Versions: C1.4, B1.8
Length of the original: 53 ch. · 59,751 words
Reading time: ~5 h 30 min
Source text: Standard Ebooks
Rights: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain Dedication)
Download: EPUB