Anna Sewell in Old Catton, Sewell wrote the manuscript of "Black Beauty" – in the period between 1871 and 1877. During this time her health was declining; she was often so weak that she was confined to her bed. Writing was a challenge. She dictated the text to her mother and from 1876 began to write on slips of paper which her mother then transcribed. Although the book is now considered a children's classic, Sewell originally wrote it for those who worked with horses. She said "a special aim was to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses". In many
Classic book and Andre Maurois. "Classic Books" reading lists now in use at some universities have been in modern vogue since at least the early part of the 20th century, with the additional impetus in 1909 of the Harvard Classics publishing imprimatur having individual works chosen by outgoing Harvard University president Charles W. Eliot. The vogue for these "Reading Lists" has continued onto the 21st century, e.g., Jane Mallison's "Book Smart: Your Essential Reading List for Becoming a Literary Genius in 365 Days" (2007). Classic book A "classic" is a book accepted as being exemplary or noteworthy, for example through an imprimatur