FIRST APPEARANCE AT AUCTION STOWE, HARRIET BEECHER. Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly. 6 illustrations by Hammatt Billings engraved by Baker, Smith and Andrew. 2 volumes. [iii]–x, [13 ]–312; [i ]–iv, [5 ]–322 pages, blank leaf. 8vo, publisher's cloth with gilt-stamped vignette in center of both covers, all other details stamped in blind, bindings cocked, portions of Volume 1 backstrip missing, half of Volume 2 backstrip lacking; a few signatures sprung, frontispiece of Volume 1 loose, scattered light foxing, neat contemporary owner's inscription pencilled on front endpaper of Volume 2; custom clamshell box. Boston: John P. Jewett and Co., 1859
first appearance at auction of the rare 1859 printing by jewett. In his 2007 essay "Uncle Tom''s Cabin: History of the Book in the 19th-Century United States," scholar Michael Winship wrote how, by 1853, Jewett had produced about 310,000 copies of the wildly popular work in various editions but, soon after, demand came to an unexpected halt. Among other financial obligations the publisher had spent a tremendous amount of his money in advertising costs for Stowe''s work and was forced to suspend payment on his debts during the panic of 1857. Winship discovered evidence that Jewett had ordered a small printing of Uncle Tom''s Cabin in late 1859. In August 1860 Jewett closed his firm and publication rights passed to Ticknor and Fields. This is therefore a copy from the final print run by original publisher of Stowe''s masterpiece. It collates to the first printing of 1852 and contains all corrections as indicated in BAL 19343. The title-page states "Three Hundred and Tenth Thousand" and the copyright pages contain the printing statement by George C. Rand & Co. OCLC records only the University of Pennsylvania copy.
