Black Beauty is a first-person narrated autobiographical fiction of the life of a horse in England. Beginning with his carefree days as a foal the book describes many acts of cruelty and brutality as Black Beauty goes to work in London as a taxi-cab horse. The book is now most commonly read as a child's book, but when it was published it was intended for a more mature audience. The novel advocates for better treatment of animals in general and horses in particular. Black Beauty's popular success and wide readership has vastly contributed to the successes of animal rights, sparking people's interest, and ultimately leading to legislative reform.