THE NATIONAL ERA, Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 1852  

* Harriet Beecher Stowe
* Rare Anti-slavery publication
* Pre-American Civil War era

This newspaper is forever linked to the best-selling novel of the 19th century: "Uncle Tom's Cabin", for the book was originally released as a 40 week serial in this anti-slavery newspaper beginning in June, 1851. It was the newspaper's publisher who encouraged Stowe to produce the work in book form, and it is common consensus that the book had much to do with popularizing sentiment which lead to the Civil War.
Page 3 has an ad headed: "Uncle Tom's Cabin for 37 1/2 Cents!" being one of the lengthier ads for this famous book we have seen (see the photo). Various anti-slavery items also in this issue as well.
Four pages, never-trimmed margins, very nice condition.

Background: On December 16, 1852, The National Era—a prominent Washington, D.C. anti-slavery publication edited by abolitionist Gamaliel Bailey—published a notable issue highlighting the meteoric rise of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Having originally introduced the story to the public as a groundbreaking 40-week serial beginning in June 1851, the newspaper featured a prominent Page 3 advertisement promoting the newly released, low-cost book edition for "37 1/2 Cents," an affordable price point designed to maximize reach among working-class readers and fuel the growing abolitionist movement in the pre-American Civil War era. Beyond capitalizing on the runaway success of Stowe’s novel, which ultimate public reaction turned into a major catalyst for the Civil War, this complete, untrimmed four-page edition captured crucial late-1852 anti-slavery commentary and political fallout following the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.