Yesterday marked the 111th anniversary of the death of Anna Sewell, author of Black Beauty, one of the most famous children's books ever written and available as an exclusive unabridged audio book from Silksoundbooks.

Anna Sewell was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Her parents were Quakers, and consequently were active in many of the liberal campaigns of the day.

As a young girl, Sewell had a serious accident, which left her crippled for the rest of her life. In her early twenties, her life was revolutionised by the purchase of a chaise and pony, which gave her some degree of freedom - allowing her to drive herself about.
She did not begin writing until 1870, at the age of fifty, when she returned to Norfolk with her mother and began work on Black Beauty, her only novel.