The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 104, June, 1866: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and PoliticsVarious
General
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 104, June, 1866: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics
Various
American periodicals
"In the beginning of the year 1851, as my custom has been, I
sent remittances to various writers whom I wished to furnish
contributions to the Era, during that volume. Among these was
Mrs. Stowe. I sent her one hundred dollars, saying to her that
for that sum she might write as _much_ as she pleased, _what_
she pleased, and _when_ she pleased. I did not dream that she
would attempt a novel, for she had never written one. Some time
in the summer she wrote me that she was going to write me a
story about 'How a Man became a Thing.' It would occupy a few
numbers of the Era, in chapters. She did not suppose or dream
that it would expand to a novel, nor did I. She changed the
title to 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' and commenced it in August. I
read two or three of the first chapters, to see that everything
was going on right, and read no more then. She proceeded,--the
story grew,--it seemed to have no end,--everybody talked of it.
I thought the mails were never so irregular, for none of my
subscribers was willing to lose a single number of the Era
while the story was going on. Mrs. Bailey attracted my
attention by her special devotion to it, and Mr. Chase always
read it before anything else. Of the hundreds of letters
received weekly, renewing subscriptions or sending new ones,
there was scarcely one that did not contain some cordial
reference to Uncle Tom. I wrote to Mrs. Stowe, and told her
that, although such a story had not been contracted for, and I
had, in my programme, limited my remittance to her to one
hundred dollars, yet, as the thing had grown beyond all our
calculations, I felt bound to make her another remittance. So I
sent her two hundred dollars more. The story was closed early
in the spring of 1852. I had not yet read it; but I wrote to
Mrs. Stowe that, as I had not contemplated so large an outlay
in my plans for the volume, as the paper had not received so
much pecuniary benefit from its publication as it would have
done could my readers have foreseen what it was to be, and as
my large circulation had served as a tremendous advertisement
for the work, which was now about to be published separately,
and of which she held the copyright alone, I supposed that I
ought not to pay for it so much as if these circumstances had
not existed. But I simply stated the case to her,--submitted
everything to her judgment,--and would pay her additional just
exactly what she should determine was right. She named one
hundred dollars more; this I immediately remitted. And thus
terminated my relations with 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' but not with
its author, who is still engaged as a regular contributor to
the Era. Dr. Snodgrass is hereby commended to Mr. Clephane [Dr.
Bailey's clerk], who is authorized to hand him any letters
between Mrs.
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