INCREDIBLE EDITION OF ‘UNCLE TOM’S CABIN’ WITH A HANDWRITTEN QUOTE FROM CHAPTER ONE, SIGNED BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE INCLUDING ORIGINAL ARTWORK FROM THE BOOK.
An exceptional edition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin , two volumes, published by Houghton, Mifflin and Co., New York, 1892. Incredibly, Harriet Beecher Stowe has hand written out the opening lines of the historic novel and signed signed her autograph quotation on the front flyleaf! Her inscription reads: “Late in the afternoon of a chilly day in February, two gentlemen were sitting alone over their wine, in a well furnished dining parlor, in the town of P____ in Kentucky. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Chap. 1 Harriet Beecher Stowe April 12, 1892”. Additionally, on the verso of the title page, the illustrater of the novel, E. W. KEMBLE, has added an original detailed ink sketch of the head of a smiling black youth, inscribed at the top, “To Charles Downing from” and signing the drawing at the bottom: “ E. W. Kemble April 20. ‘92”. Finally , on the page opposite Kemble’s drawing, actor, FRANCES WILSON writes, “To Charles Downing Lay with love from Francis Wilson The Orchard April 20th 1892”. Wilson, a famous stage actress of the time, likely appeared in a stage production of the play. But for an ink spot in the Wilson inscription, all inscriptions and the text are pristine. Fine condition, rebound with slip case.
To our knowledge, it would be impossible to find a finer example of this edition of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” available on the market, considering the Stowe autograph quotation, the artwork and the association.
Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe was an American author and abolitionist who used her writing to express her belief in racial equality and fight against injustice. She is best known for her 1851 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which depicted the cruelties of slavery and the separation of enslaved families. The book was a sensation, embraced by abolitionists and denounced in the South. It was later adapted for the stage and translated into many languages.
Edward Winsor Kemble, usually cited as E. W. Kemble, and sometimes referred to incorrectly as Edward Windsor Kemble, was an American illustrator. He is known best for illustrating the first edition of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and for his caricatures of African Americans.
Francis Wilson (February 7, 1854 – October 7, 1935) was an American actor and founding president of the Actors’ Equity Association.
