SEWELL, Anna
 
Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions. The Autobiography of a Horse. Translated from the Original Equine; first edition in first state presentation binding. Published by Jarrold and Sons, London, 1877.
 
Description
 
Exceptionally rare publisher’s presentation binding in original brown cloth. With Black Beauty correctly facing away and to the right. Small 8vo. Decoration embossed in gilt and black, Carter's variant B. In very good condition excepting some spotting internally, partial split in front endpaper joint and some rubbing to the extremities. Otherwise, retaining original brown colour with binding tight and without any restoration work at all.
Previously owned by Mrs. Mary Bayly.
John Carter's More Binding Variants refers to three bindings on the first edition sheets. Bindings A and B being exactly the same but for the horses head and border on the front cover being in gilt on binding A and in black on binding B. Binding C is set from an entirely different block. Carter notes that, "C is comparatively common", whilst "A and B are so rare that deductions are inevitably conjectural". However the publishers advertised the original issue at "2/- in cloth boards, 2/6 in extra boards, gilt edges"; further the fifth edition, circulating by the end of 1878, is also bound in the C binding. Thus only variants A and B can be said with certainty to represent states of the first edition and that is likely that those copies in variant C are either bound from remaindered stock or more likely undifferentiated 1878 reprints.
The author’s only published work, Black Beauty is the first English novel written from the perspective of an animal. It was created with the strong moral purpose of promoting the welfare of horses and is said to have been instrumental in the abolition of the cruel practice of using the checkrein.