Beautiful Joe

by Marshall Saunders

Overview

Marshall Saunders "Beautiful Joe" (1893) is a remarkable classic exploring issues of animal cruelty told from the point of view of one dog, Joe. This work was an instant success upon its release in Canada, becoming the first book to sell over a million copies in that country. Written as a kind of dog's autobiography, the work was innovative in its narrative technique. Often compared to Anna Sewell's "Black Beauty", the novel tracks the true story of a terrier in Maine named Joe. As Joe tells his story, the reader quickly meets his cruel owner Jenkins. Jenkins mistreatment grows more intense over time. The reader develops a deep sympathy for Joe and his canine counterparts on account of its narrative point of view. Joe's journey through abuse towards being rescued is a harrowing account not to be missed by the animal lover.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420944587
Publisher:	Neeland Media
Publication date:	04/12/2012
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.32(d)

About the Author

Margaret Marshall Saunders (1861-1947) was a Canadian author. Saunders was born in the village of Milton, Nova Scotia, though she spent most of her childhood in Berwick, Nova Scotia where her father was a Baptist minister. Saunders is most famous for her novel Beautiful Joe. It tells the true story of dog that has had a difficult puppyhood with many obstacles including a cruel owner. It is told from the dog's point of view. When the book was published in 1893, both the book and its subject received worldwide attention. It was the first Canadian book to sell over a million copies, and by the late 1930s had sold over seven million copies worldwide. In 1934, Saunders was made a Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.), at the time her country's highest civilian honor. Together with fellow Canadian author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Saunders co-founded the Maritime branch of the Canadian Women's Press Club. Following the success of Beautiful Joe, Saunders wrote more than twenty other stories, a number of which provided social commentary on such things as the abolition of child labor, slum clearance, and the improvement of playground facilities. Saunders died in 1947 in Toronto, Ontario where she had lived for a number of years.