First Edition First State Dred (1856) Harriet Beecher Stowe Cloth Hardcover Good

Phillips, Sampson and Company, 1856. First edition, first state two volume cloth bound hardcover of Dred; A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

First edition, first state volumes with identification points matching those listed in BAL #19389:

- BAL binding A, being blind-stamped brown cloth with holly-like leaves.
- Pale yellow endpapers.
- Volume I, Page 88, Line 3: The ascender of the 'd' in 'dictatorial' positioned almost directly below the vertical stroke of the 'r' in the word 'rather' from the line directly above it.
- Volume I, Page 209: No batter.
- Volume II, Appendices present with inclusion of Nat Turner's Confessions.
- Volume II, Page 370, Ninth line up from the bottom: States 'the Dicksons are fewer, and have' with no mention of 'the Ruskins.'

Harriet Beecher Stowe's second antislavery novel was written partly in response to the criticisms of Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) by both white Southerners and black abolitionists. In Dred (1856), Stowe attempts to explore the issue of slavery from an African American perspective.

Through the compelling stories of Nina Gordon, the mistress of a slave plantation, and Dred, a black revolutionary, Stowe brings to life conflicting beliefs about race, the institution of slavery, and the possibilities of violent resistance. Probing the political and spiritual goals that fuel Dred's rebellion, Stowe creates a figure far different from the acquiescent Christian martyr Uncle Tom.

Good condition. Chipping to the cloth of the first volume's spine at the title with text loss, and to the crown and heel. Chipping also to the second volume's crown. Second volume's front free end paper torn away. Lean to the binding of the second volume. Previous owner's name inside the front covers. Bindings solid. Nice antiquarian books with shelf wear.