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Daft Bat

Daft Bat

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The above is a quote from the book “Black Beauty” written by Anna Sewell, who was born today 30th March, back in 1820.

However, it was her mother Mary whose children’s books were far better known in her day. Mary did not start writing until she was sixty but her little stories, based on her Quaker background, found a new market as few writers had thought of catering for children in this way. One of her moral tales, “Mother’s Last Words”, sold an astonishing (for the time) million copies.

Anna started late as well – she was 57 when she wrote “Black Beauty”. It was not intended for children, but they loved it and sales boomed. It received its highest accolade when it was officially recommended by the RSPCA. But Anna knew nothing of the fame of her book – she died the year after writing it. :(
 
Mrs. Jones from Chapel House gave me my first copy for my eighth birthday, because I liked horses. I can remember the smell of the book, the feel of the hard back cover, her handing me the gift neatly-wrapped with the words, "It will make you cry." . Strange how his blog post has brought back the memory, sights and sounds of that day.

I didn't know about Mary Sewell. Very interesting, Jan.
 
Daft Bat said:
The above is a quote from the book “Black Beauty” written by Anna Sewell, who was born today 30th March, back in 1820.

However, it was her mother Mary whose children’s books were far better known in her day. Mary did not start writing until she was sixty but her little stories, based on her Quaker background, found a new market as few writers had thought of catering for children in this way. One of her moral tales, “Mother’s Last Words”, sold an astonishing (for the time) million copies.

Anna started late as well – she was 57 when she wrote “Black Beauty”. It was not intended for children, but they loved it and sales boomed. It received its highest accolade when it was officially recommended by the RSPCA. But Anna knew nothing of the fame of her book – she died the year after writing it. :(
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I didn't know that Anna Sewell had died so soon after writing Black Beauty There was a book called Son of Black Beauty Did she write this also?
 
I have an old copy of Son of Black Beauty, which I was also given in childhood. Phyllis Briggs, I think, tried to emulate Anna Sewell's writing style - "I am now a very old horse". I think he'd have been so remarkably old by then that he'd have made the Guinness Book of Records - it was written in the 1950s.

Also, Black Beauty wasn't a stallion.... ;)
 
Bay Horse said:
I have an old copy of Son of Black Beauty, which I was also given in childhood. Phyllis Briggs, I think, tried to emulate Anna Sewell's writing style - "I am now a very old horse". I think he'd have been so remarkably old by then that he'd have made the Guinness Book of Records - it was written in the 1950s.

Also, Black Beauty wasn't a stallion.... ;)
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I rather thought Black Beauty was a stallion because he was more than impressed by Ginger I recall Plus in the opening chapter his mother impresses on him that his grandfather was a winner at Newmarket, and therefore very different from the carthorse foals. She was telling him he had something to live up to.
 
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