Booksellers' Ads (1852)
| It looks as if at first Richmond tried ignoring Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Dispatch announced the publication of Northern novels like Queechy (published after Stowe's novel) and said in a notice of Clovernook that "no female writer" had "ever so suddenly attained" so much reputation as its author. Booksellers published ads offering Queechy and an anti-Tom novel for sale before Uncle Tom itself made an almost invisible appearance in two ads. Throughout 1852 five different Richmond booksellers advertised two (negative) reviews of Stowe's novel and a total of six anti-Tom novels for sale, but only listed Stowe's book twice. The Dispatch, however, soon starting talking a lot about the novel, especially after Stowe herself went to England to receive the applause of both the British aristocracy and the common people. |
