Uncle Tom's Cabin de Stowe, Harriet Beecher - 1897

M. A. Donohue & Company, 1897. Hardcover. Good. Signed. 3/4 bound in brown leather over green cloth, 615 pp. Tipped in is an autographed letter SIGNED by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Also, housed in a misidentified mounted envelope, is an autographed letter SIGNED by L G Clark, the individual upon whom the character of George Harris in this novel was based. /// The letter of Harriet Beecher Stowe reads: "Mardarin, March 13, 1881 Dear Sir, Since you have secured a letter from my brother, whose letters to me are rare enough for phenomena and he recommends you to try me, why I do my best. Writing to a gentleman whom you have never seen and with nothing particular to say is rather awkward, so you must excuse me if I am brief. Wishing you all usual good wishes, I am, Yours truly, Harriet Beecher Stowe." (Somewhat unusual in that the author penned her full name) /// The letter from L. G. Clark is as follows: "Oberlin, Ohio. Novem. 26, 1880. Mr. Baldwin, Sir, I must ask you to be so kind as to pardon me for a seeming neglect in not answering your reques sooner for I must say to you that I have had so much to do that I could not reach yours aney sooner. I hope to reach New Yok City during the next year and if so, I hope to see you and talk to you for I had rather talk to aney one than to try to write to them for talking I have done a great of and as to written I have ondley tried to a little of thoe Mrs Stowe tell you in the key of Uncle Tom's Cabben that I was educated in her sister in Laws family whish was trew in one sence yet it was a very slim truth for I have never been to school a week in my life so you must not expect mush of me in that line. L. G. Clark" Chapter IV of The Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin is devoted to the character George Harris and the person, Lewis Clark, who "..was received into the family of a sister-in-law of the author, and there educated." CONDITION NOTES: The Harriet Beecher Stowe letter is mounted to the second free endpaper. On the verso of the first endpaper are two newspaper clippings and laid in between is another newspaper clipping (now in a sleeve). The clippings have caused some light offsetting to the letter which also has two horizontal creases from the original fold and a narrow, left edge, crease from being tipped in to close to the gutter. The L. G. Clark letter is in an envelope labeled "Autographed letter, signed of L. G. Harris the George Harris Mentioned in Uncle Tom's Cabin". It is written on both sides of a slip of paper which was originally torn in half. There is a horizontal crease near the top edge. The letter is lightly toned and has some areas of faint soiling. The volume is rubbed and abraded on the edges folds and joints. In addition to aforementioned clippings, there are two images of Harriet Beecher Stowe, one mounted to the front pastedown and the other to the fourth endpaper. A typed short biographical summary of Harriet Beecher Stowe as well as the typed contents of the two letters is affixed to the front endpaper. The illustrations pages list 5 plates which are missing, lists another on an incorrect page and makes no mention of 4 other plates, multi colored, which appear at various points. (We have searched for another 1897 Donohue volume to compare or replace the missing plates and have been unable to locate any other copy). The volume has some tipped corners, a few stains, and a short fore-edge tear on one of the illustrations. A bookplate of William E. Ambler is affixed to the front pastedown. Overall, this is a good copy, with unusual attributes, and interesting associations. Images furnished upon request.