From the Rare Books Collection: The Many First Editions of Uncle Tom's Cabin

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Hi Brian, thanks for the background research. I'm sure you could write a book about such a controversial book.

In reply to by Peter S. (not verified)

Thank you, Peter! The publishing history and the social history of this title are intertwined and both are hugely significant in their own ways. 

Thank you for this background and cultural information!

As a bibliophile and book collector, I appreciate your in-depth bibliographical analysis of DPL's five very early editions of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Western History is to be commended for providing a permanent home to rare books in many fields. This is to be contrasted with some public libraries' view that it's only the information that counts, and a digital copy is just as good as the original. This ignores the cultural and artifactual value of an original rare book, and the "secrets" often hidden in the provenance or annotations added to the original book by former owners.

In reply to by Joe Halpern (not verified)

Hi Joe - Thank you for the kinds words. Indeed, the publishing history of book can shed tremendous light on its cultural circumstances - and this title is a very good example of that phenomenon. 

Goodnight. I have a British edition, from 1852, with several illustrations and published by John Cassel. I didn't find anything about this post, could you tell me something? Thanks!

Hi Ana - It looks like that version was made using reprints of illustrations that were originally published as a 13-part serial in Germany with some information about the progress of the abolition movement in the back of the book. So many different editions of this book came out in one single year!

I have an Uncle Tom's Cabin. It is printed in the " Copyright, 1923, by J.H. SEARS &
COMPANY, Inc.
Set up, Printed and Bound by THE KINGSPORT PRESS How much is it worth?

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