# Is "A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (John P. Jewett & Company, 1853) is identified by: The first issue carries the Hobart and Robbins stereotype-foundry imprint on the copyright page and was issued in tall 8vo format, collating 262 pages plus publisher's advertisements.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first issue carries the Hobart and Robbins stereotype-foundry imprint on the copyright page and was issued in tall 8vo format, collating 262 pages plus publisher's advertisements
- It was published simultaneously by John P. Jewett & Company of Boston, co-issued under the imprint of Jewett, Proctor and Worthington of Cleveland
- The first edition was offered both in brown publisher's cloth — bright gilt lettering on the spine, blind-stamped decoration on the boards, yellow endpapers — and in plain printed paper wrappers, and was compiled as a documentary companion proving the factual basis of Uncle Tom's Cabin
- Publisher imprint reads John P. Jewett & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harriet Beecher Stowe |
| Publisher | John P. Jewett & Company |
| Year | 1853 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first issue carries the Hobart and Robbins stereotype-foundry imprint on the copyright page and was issued in tall 8vo format… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first issue carries the Hobart and Robbins stereotype-foundry imprint on the copyright page and was issued in tall 8vo format, collating 262 pages plus publisher's advertisements. It was published simultaneously by John P. Jewett & Company of Boston, co-issued under the imprint of Jewett, Proctor and Worthington of Cleveland. The first edition was offered both in brown publisher's cloth — bright gilt lettering on the spine, blind-stamped decoration on the boards, yellow endpapers — and in plain printed paper wrappers, and was compiled as a documentary companion proving the factual basis of Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin* by Harriet Beecher Stowe a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-key-to-uncle-toms-cabin
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.