A 1941 novel by Walter Farley, the first in a series. The book is a classic and the basis for a 1979 movie by the same name.

This book describes the adventures of Alexander Ramsay after a summer of missionary work in India. A wild Arabian stallion is picked up by the ship on which Alec is traveling. When the Drake goes down in a storm, the horse and the boy make it to a small island, where they develop a close bond over a period of several weeks. Soon another ship comes to their rescue, and Alec takes "the Black" to his home in New York. With the help of his neighbor Henry Dailey, Alec trains his new horse and begins to race him. In the books that follow, we learn the origin of the Black and his given name, "Shetan", meaning "The Devil". Alec and his horse do a bit of world traveling and a bit of racing, which makes for some good adventure and mystery stories.

There are a number of books in the series, including The Black Stallion Returns, Son of the Black Stallion, and The Island Stallion.

These were my favorite books when I was younger. I had to order many of them through a local bookstore because the library only had a few of the series. They were definitely worth the wait. I hope kids are still finding this gem in school libraries or among their parents' and grandparents' books.

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