Anna Sewell

Born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, on March 30, 1820, she grew up in a Quaker family that valued compassion, education, and moral purpose. Her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, was a successful writer, and Anna was educated mainly at home.

As a teenager she suffered an injury that affected her mobility for the rest of her life, so horses and carriages became an important part of her everyday experience. That closeness to horses, along with her concern for their welfare, shaped the book she is remembered for.

Her only published novel, Black Beauty, appeared in 1877, just a year before her death on April 25, 1878. Written as the life story of a horse, the book was meant not only to entertain but also to encourage gentleness and humane treatment of animals, and it has remained a beloved classic ever since.