Black Beauty:
His Grooms and Companions. The Autobiography of a Horse. Translated from the Original Equine.
London, Jarrold and Sons, [1877].
The author died just five months after publication. 'Anna Sewell has been neglected by history. In ironic contrast, her only book has achieved phenomenal success. Pirated in America in 1890, its sales broke publishing records. It is said to be "the sixth best seller in the English language"' (E.B. Wells & A. Grimshaw, The Annotated 'Black Beauty',1989).
The binding on this copy is known as 'Carter's variant "C"', relating to a bibliography of binding variants; not the most uncommon issue, but extremely uncommon in such good condition.
First edition; small 8vo (165 x 100 mm.); wood-engraved frontispiece, 8pp. advertisements, contemporary gift inscription to front free endpaper, brown-coated endpapers with some wear at hinges possibly due to the adhesive used for the pastedowns; publisher's green cloth blocked in black with gilt title to spine and upper cover and gold medallion containing horse's portrait to upper cover, a little rubbed at corners, slight rolling of spine, but overall very good.
Wolff 6250a; Carter, More Binding Variants p.37.
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