Harriet Beecher Stowe

Rare edition with unique illustrations and elegant classic cream paper. Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was an American author and abolitionist, famous for writing Uncle Tom's Cabin, first published in 1852. Stowe wrote the novel as an angry response to the 1850 passage of the second Fugitive Slave Act, which punished those who aided runaway slaves and diminished the rights of fugitives as well as freed slaves. It was the best-selling novel of the 19th century (and the second best-selling book of the century after the Bible) and is credited with helping to fuel the abolitionist cause in the United States prior to the American Civil War. When Stowe met Abraham Lincoln in 1862 (during the Civil War), he reportedly greeted her with, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war " Other works include: Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands (1854), Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp (1856), The Minister's Wooing (1859), Lady Byron Vindicated (1870) and Pink and White Tyranny (1871). A biography, Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe, written by her son, Charles Edward Stowe, was published in 1889. Includes vintage illustration

Uncle Tom, Topsy, Sambo, Simon Legree, little Eva: their names are American bywords, and all of them are characters in Harriet Beecher Stowe's remarkable novel of the pre-Civil War South. Uncle Tom's Cabin was revolutionary in 1852 for its passionate indictment of slavery and for its presentation of Tom, "a man of humanity," as the first black hero in American fiction. Labeled racist and condescending by some contemporary critics, it remains a shocking, controversial, and powerful work -- exposing the attitudes of white nineteenth-century society toward "the peculiar institution" and documenting, in heartrending detail, the tragic breakup of black Kentucky families "sold down the river." An immediate international sensation, Uncle Tom's Cabin sold 300,000 copies in the first year, was translated into thirty-seven languages, and has never gone out of print: its political impact was immense, its emotional influence immeasurable.

Banned in the South for its powerful antislavery message, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe sparked outrage and censorship over its portrayal of the brutality of slavery. Dover's Banned Books series explores the abolitionist novel's legacy, censorship history, and enduring impact.

The Collected Stories by Harriet Beecher Stowe brings together a powerful and emotionally resonant selection of short fiction from the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. These stories, rich in moral purpose and vivid characterization, explore themes of faith, social justice, family, and the struggles of everyday people-particularly within the context of 19th-century American life. With her signature blend of empathy, sharp social observation, and deeply held convictions, Stowe crafts narratives that illuminate the human cost of inequality and the redemptive power of love and conscience. This collection showcases her remarkable range as a storyteller and her enduring commitment to literature as a force for social change.