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Black Beauty. A story of the ups and downs of a horse's life

Anna Sewell

Anna Sewell (1820-1870) was an English novellist. She is most famous for Black Beauty, which was first published in 1877 by a local publisher in Norfolk, Jarrold & Sons. It was an innovative story because it was the autobiography of a horse, told by a horse. It proved to be enormously popular and Jarrolds published many editions of the novel, including illustrated editions. In 1922, for example, they published at least seven different editions with prices ranging from 1/- to 10/6 (see below).

Two editions of Black Beauty were published with the same twelve illustrations by Edmund Blampied.

The first was a small 'Film edition' priced at 1/6 published to coincide with the release of a silent film of the story released in the USA in 1921 by the Vitagraph Company. Two versions of this small (163 x 120 mm) Film Edition are shown below: the first, has a red cloth binding decorated in gilt, with decorated endpapers and internal illustrations; the second and later impressions are issued in blue cloth without the gilt decoration on the cover or decorated endpapers, but contains the same frontispiece, a line drawing of Anna Sewell, plus 11 other line illustrations, all by Blampied, all printed on the same rough wove paper as the text. This 'Film Edition' was later published in a 7th impression in larger boards (190 x 130 mm) of pale blue cloth with a dust jacket illustrated by Maud Scriveney and priced at 2/6. The same binding was also used for the Canadian edition published by Ryerson, also the 7th impression of the 'Film Edition'.

The second Blampied edition is larger (190 x 130 mm) and was first called a 'Gift Edition' edition priced at 2/6. It was later called a 'Presentation' edition or a 'Popular' edition. It is not known when this was first published as no printing history is given in any impression that has been seen so far and the name of the edition is not stated within any book, it is only used on advertising material. The illustrations in this edition are printed on unnumbered pages of glossy coated paper, bound in. There is no portrait of Anna Sewell.

To confuse matters further, the Gift Edition was also published in decorated orange cloth with the title, author and 'Illustrated by Cecil Aldin' in black on the front cover and spine. The internal illustrations are by Blampied, not by Aldin, so the attribution on the binding is wrong. The jacket of this edition has not been seen.

A drawing from the new edition of Black Beauty was reproduced in the Christmas Number of The Bookman in 1921, before the book was published (see below).

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Dust jacket of fourth impression of the Film edition (click to enlarge)

Cover of first impression of the Film edition (click to enlarge)

Blampied's dedication on front free end paper of first edition (click to enlarge)

Cover of fourth impression of the Film edition (click to enlarge)

Cover of the 7th impression of the Film Edition in larger covers (190 x 130 mm) published by Ryerson, Toronto but printed in Britain (click to enlarge)

Notes: The copy of the first impression of the Film edition is signed by Blampied and dated March 8, 1922. It has the front panel of the dust jacket, which is the same as the jacket on the 4th impression, except that the books advertised are different and it states 'Film Edition' on the spine.

The 2nd impression (seen on the internet) also states that it is the 'Film Edition' on the spine of the jacket. The rear panel advertises seven editions of Black Beauty at different prices: the Cecil Aldin Presentation Edition, for 10/6; a Prize Edition with coloured and other illustrations, crown 8vo, priced at 6/-; a Popular Edition, with frontispiece, crown 8vo, price 3/6; A Gift Edition, illustrated by E. Blampied, cloth gilt, price 2/6; a Railway Library Edition, priced 2/-; a Film Edition, strongly bound, priced 1/6; and a Cheap Edition with a paper cover, priced 1/-.

A 4th impression of the Film Edition (December 1924) was issued in pale blue boards (shown above). In impression of the 4th impression issued in green boards is reported, to add to the different colours of cover. A 5th impression was issued in May 1929 with bright blue cloth boards.

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Dust jacket of Gift edition? (click to enlarge)

Cover of Gift edition? (click to enlarge)

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A drawing from a new edition of Black Beauty, in preparation (click to enlarge)

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