Christine de Pizan

Christine de Pizan
The Writer Christine de Pizan at Her Desk

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Anna Sewell, Mother of the Pony Book

Anna Sewell (died 25 April 1878)


Anna Sewell, c. 1878
Although she only published one book in her lifetime, Anna Sewell made sure that one book counted: Black Beauty, written in the last years of her life, when she was an invalid, was published in 1877.

In 2008, The Times reported that fifty million copies of Black Beauty were in print.

Cover of 1877 edition of Black Beauty
And, as an additional note for today: Anna Sewell's mother, Mary Wright Sewell (1797-1884) was herself a writer of fiction for children. 

For a biography of Anna Sewell, you might enjoy Adrienne Gavin's Dark Horse: A Life of Anna Sewell. There are many editions of Black Beauty available, in a wide array of formats, from hardcover and paperback to electronic versions. If you are interested in looking at works by Mary Wright Sewell, a quick look at Google Books will show several available titles.


A title page of Black Beauty,
from a copy owned by Anna Sewell's
mother, Mary Wright Sewell