Black Beauty

This children's book tells the life story of a horse, Black Beauty. It was written in 1877 and the author stated that her intention was "to induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment of horses", so we can see that she was very interested in the idea of empathy. Although it is nowadays published as a children's book, it was written for adults. It is told as an autobiography of a working horse, Black Beauty, and describes his lifetime experiences of both cruelty and kindness. I read this when I was about 8 years old and cried myself to sleep. This novel had a strong effect on its Victorian audience and led to reforms in the treatment of horses. Some people have compared its empathic view of the treatment of horses to the anti-slavery book "Uncle Tom's Cabin".