Queer Little People

Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1867 Illustrated. First edition, first printing. One of 2508 copies. Presentation copy, inscribed by Stowe on front flyleaf: "Mrs. Lily Fisk (?) / A New Year's Present from / H. B. Stowe." Publisher's green cloth, board margins ruled in blind, front board and spine stamped in gilt, and brown coated endpapers. Very good book, with mild rippling to cloth on boards, corners lightly worn and bumped, light wear to spine ends, spine gilt slightly dimmed, front board gilt bright and unfaded, Stowe's name written in pencil to flyleaf by a previous owner, and some light soiling to pages. Overall, a lovely copy, with Stowe's scarce inscription. BAL 19445. Queer Little People is a collection of children's short stories by 19th century author and abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe. Some titles included are: "The Hen that Hatched Ducks," "The Nutcracker of Nutcracker Lodge," "The Squirrels That Live in a House," "Our Country Neighbors," and "Sir Walter Scott and His Dogs." Stowe is best known for her classic anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, which was first published in the American abolitionist periodical The National Era. Inspired by the increased stringency of the Fugitive Slave Law after the Compromise of 1850, the novel features two enslaved people trying to preserve their families in spite of the abusive oppression they endured. Published in book form on March 20, 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin was an instant bestseller, with 300,000 copies sold in the United States and 1.5 million copies sold in Great Britain within the first year. Legend has it that when Stowe visited President Lincoln at the White House, he remarked, "So you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.". Signed by Author. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good.