Most Americans have a basic sense of compassion for animals today, yet they may not realize that incredible cruelty to animals was commonplace just a century ago. Books changed that. Black Beauty had been published in England in 1878 and received a tremendous response throughout the world. In 1893, Marshall Saunders won a writing contest sponsored by the Humane Society. Her book, Beautiful Joe: The Autobiography of a Dog, details a dog's horrible treatment by a cruel milkman and his eventual rescue by a kind family.

(Margaret) Marshall Saunders (1861-1947), a descendant of Mayflower Pilgrims, grew up in Nova Scotia. Saunders met Beautiful Joe on Lake Huron and spent six months with the dog and his family. His "autobiography", published in 1894, is a fictionalized presentation of a true story, and was the first novel by this Canadian writer. Beautiful Joe gained tremendous popularity, and contributed significantly to changing public attitudes about the treatment of animals.

Originally published in 1894