Beecher Stowe, Harriet (1852) ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’, UK true first edition in 13 weekly parts

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852) ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin‘, UK true first edition, published by John Cassell in the original 13 weekly installments. Beautifully presented in a quarter leather bound protective box with the book details embossed on the spine. All 13 parts (201 x 131 mm). Title with woodcut vignette, woodcut frontispiece, 27 woodcut plates by George Cruikshank as called for. Original price of Twopence printed on the front covers.

Condition: in nice condition considering the 170 years since publication. A little handling wear and creases. Internally clean. No restorations whatsoever.

Back in the 19th century books (e.g. Alexandre Dumas, Charles Dickens et.c) were often published in monthly or weekly installments such as in the case of Beecher Stowe’s ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’. This way the author and publisher would charge the reader more money whilst the reader did not to have to spend a rather huge amount for a properly bound book. The other advantage of this publication format was to keep the reader interested in the story. Once the installments were finished, readers had the option to get them bound into a book. Therefore, few specimen survive in their original publication format. We can trace very few surviving examples which have gone for sale in the past 20 years.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a landmark novel and one of the most influential of American literature back in its time and to date. The novel spread the plight of slavery in America and abroad, and paved the way to the Civil Rights Movement and eventual Civil War.