Black Beauty (version 3 Dramatic Reading)

Black Beauty is a fictional autobiographical memoir told by a horse, who recounts many tales, both of cruelty and kindness. The title page of the first edition states that it was "Translated from the Original Equine by Anna Sewell." After its publication in 1877, Sewell lived just long enough to see her first and only novel become an immediate bestseller, as well as it encouraging the better treatment of many cruelly-treated animals.

Although initially intended for people who work with horses, it soon became a children's classic. While outwardly teaching animal welfare, it also contains allegorical lessons about how to treat people with kindness, sympathy and respect. The story is narrated in the first person and each short chapter relates an incident in Black Beauty's life, with Sewell's detailed observations and extensive descriptions of horse behaviour lending the novel a good deal of verisimilitude. (Summary by Cori Samuel, Wikipedia, and Mary Kay)

Black Beauty: Arielle Lipshaw
Ginger: Beth Thomas
Squire Gordon: Larry Wilson
John Manly: Oxenhandler
James Howard: Nolan Fout
Jeremiah Barker: Todd
Polly Barker: Kristin Gjerløw

Other roles read by: Nick Bulka, Zames Curran, Nolan Fout, Freakwhency, Kristin Gjerløw, Ricky of Kokiri, Lydia, MaryAnn, Oxenhandler, Adele de Pignerolles, Rachel, Esther ben Simonides, K. Adrian Stroet, Joseph Tabler, Beth Thomas, Todd, Elizabeth Travers, Maggie Travers, Twinkle, Tomas Peter, and Larry Wilson

Audio edited by Kim, Arielle Lipshaw, and Adele de Pignerolles (5 hr 26 min)

Chapters

Dramatis Personae	3:05	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
My Early Home	4:24	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Hunt	5:42	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
My Breaking In	7:26	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Birtwick Park	5:02	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A Fair Start	6:45	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Liberty	3:08	Read by Arielle Lipshaw
Ginger	8:01	Read by Arielle Lipshaw
Ginger's Story Continued	6:37	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Merrylegs	4:47	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A Talk in the Orchard	11:07	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Plain Speaking	6:33	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A Stormy Day	6:04	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Devil's Trade Mark	5:41	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
James Howard	5:43	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Old Hostler	5:51	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Fire	7:05	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
John Manly's Talk	7:16	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Going for the Doctor	7:00	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Only Ignorance	4:38	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Joe Green	4:58	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Parting	5:17	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Earlshall	7:18	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A Strike for Liberty	5:48	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Lady Anne, or a Runaway Horse	10:31	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Reuben Smith	6:22	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
How it Ended	5:11	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Ruined and Going Downhill	5:05	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A Job Horse and his Drivers	6:31	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Cockneys	11:07	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A Thief	4:38	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A Humbug	5:15	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A Horse Fair	6:20	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A London Cab Horse	6:54	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
An Old War Horse	10:14	Read by Arielle Lipshaw
Jerry Barker	9:37	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Sunday Cab	8:53	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Golden Rule	5:44	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Dolly and a Real Gentleman	6:57	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Seedy Sam	6:59	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Poor Ginger	3:58	Read by Arielle Lipshaw
The Butcher	5:18	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Election	3:22	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
A Friend in Need	7:10	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Old Captain and his Successor	7:53	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Jerry's New Year	10:04	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Jakes and the Lady	6:35	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Hard Times	7:54	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Farmer Thoroughgood and his Grandson Willie	6:45	Read by LibriVox Volunteers
My Last Home	5:40	Read by LibriVox Volunteers

Reviews

Black Beauty Review

(5 stars)

Unknown

I thoroughly enjoyed Anna Sewell’s timeless classic of Black Beauty. I must agree with another reviewer that Black Beauty and Merrylegs certainly do not sound male. Of course that was not Anna Sewell’s fault. What was her fault is that it’s very hard to find out what gender Black Beauty is. One minute you think Black Beauty is a boy, the next a girl. I would have liked it better if that was more clear. Still, such a timeless classic and very enjoyable. Too bad she couldn’t write more.