The dust from the earthquake that had clouded the sky for days finally seemed to be settling. Soon, Alec thought, it would be time to begin their journey home again, back to Hopeful Farm, Henry and his family. But for now he was content to breathe the clean desert air and be with his horse.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Walter Farley’s love for horses began when he was a small boy living in Syracuse, New York, and continued as he grew up in New York City, where his family moved. Unlike most city children, he was able to fulfill this love through an uncle who was a professional horseman. Young Walter spent much of his time with this uncle, learning about the different kinds of horse training and the people associated with them.
Walter Farley began to write his first book, The Black Stallion, while he was a student at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York, and Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania. It was published in 1941 while he was still an undergraduate at Columbia University.
The appearance of The Black Stallion brought such an enthusiastic response from young readers that Mr. Farley went on to create more stories about the Black, and about other horses as well. In his life he wrote a total of thirty-four books, including Man o’ War, the story of America’s greatest thoroughbred, and two movies. His books have been enormously popular in the United States and have been published in twenty-one foreign countries.
Mr. Farley and his wife, Rosemary, had four children, whom they raised on a farm in Pennsylvania and at a beach house in Florida. Horses, dogs and cats were always a part of the household.
In 1989, Mr. Farley was honored by his hometown library in Venice, Florida, which established the Walter Farley Literary Landmark in its children’s wing. Mr. Farley died in October 1989, shortly before publication of The Young Black Stallion, the twenty-first book in the Black Stallion series.
Steven Farley, the third of Walter and Rosemary Farley’s four children, was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was brought up near there and in Venice, Florida; in both places there was always a horse in the backyard. The Young Black Stallion, co-written with his father, was Steven’s first novel. He followed that up with two more Black Stallion novels and the Young Black Stallion series. Steven has worked as a circus roustabout, bookseller, and set builder for commercials and music videos. He has also spent time as a long-haul truck driver, traveling between Europe and the Middle East. Parts of The Young Black Stallion were drawn from his experiences there. Currently, he divides his time between New York, Florida, and Mexico.
DON’T FORGET THE STORY
THAT BEGAN IT ALL …
Alec Ramsay first saw the Black Stallion when his ship docked at a small Arabian port on the Red Sea. Little did he dream then that the magnificent wild horse was destined to play an important part in his young life; that the strange understanding that grew between them would lead through untold dangers to high adventure in America.
THE SECOND GREAT ADVENTURE
ABOUT ALEC AND THE BLACK
What was the motive of the night prowler in attempting to destroy the Black, one of the world’s most famous horses? The prowler left behind him a gold medallion on which was embossed the figure of a large white bird, its wings outstretched in flight. Was it the Phoenix, the fabulous bird of mythology that symbolizes the resurrection of the dead?
THE THIRD BOOK IN THE CLASSIC
BLACK STALLION SERIES
When the Black Stallion’s son arrives from Arabia, young Alec Ramsay believes his dreams have come true. Satan is everything a horse should be: beautiful, spirited, and intelligent. But veteran trainer Henry sees something dark and disturbing in the colt’s stony gaze.
THE FOURTH BOOK ABOUT
THE BLACK STALLION
The Black Stallion’s colt, Satan, is a great horse. He has won many famous races. Then from far-off Arabia comes the Black—to start the greatest controversy racing circles have ever known. Which horse is faster? But as the match approaches, the great stallion and his colt find themselves in a different kind of race—not against each other, but against a terrible and deadly forest fire.
ANOTHER EXCITING TALE OF
THE BLACK STALLION
One morning, during their vacation in the Florida Everglades, Alec rides the Black down a path into a beautiful but mysterious swamp. Alec encounters a strange rider on a ghostly gray mare. Too late, Alec realizes that the man’s obsession with a supernatural curse has driven him mad—and he’s not only insane, he’s dangerous. Suddenly, what started as an innocent outing turns into a living nightmare!
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