The North & South: Slavery Contrasts 1852 Caroline Rush Pro-Slavery Novel 1st Ed

Crissy & Markley, 1852. First edition antiquarian cloth bound hardcover of The North and South, Or, Slavery and Its Contrasts. A Tale of Real Life by Caroline Rush.

Illustrated with black and white plates.

This book is an early example of anti-abolitionist or conservative anti-slavery fiction written in response to Uncle Tom's Cabin--also known as "anti-Tom" literature. Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in serialization from June 5, 1851 to April 1, 1852, and then completely in book form in 1852, the same year as this book.

This book tells the story of two families, one from the North and one from the South, and their differing views on slavery. The main character, Mary Ellis, is a young woman from the North who travels to the South to visit her aunt and uncle. The novel contrasts the lifestyles and beliefs of the North and South, highlighting the stark and complex differences between the two regions.

The author's primary intention was to attack and redirect Northern Abolitionists whom she viewed as hypocritical and a threat to the Union. Her purpose was to show them the "Slavery of his own colour"--the misery and poverty of white Northern urban poor--as a "more terrible evil" than Southern servitude. She intended to foster "love for his brethren of the South," portraying slaveholders with "noble and generous traits," while urging philanthropists to focus their efforts on relieving poverty in their own "enlightened Northern home."

While not a figure of great literary renown today, Caroline E. Rush's novel provides valuable insight into the diverse political and social debates occurring in the United States just before the Civil War.

Good condition. Chipping and cracking to the cloth material of the spine. Wear to the edges of the covers. Previous owner's info inside the front cover, dated 1869. Binding very solid. Soiling to the page block edge. Spotting to the interior pages. Pages are crisp and clean. Solid, rare antiquarian book of a unique historical perspective with shelf wear.