Interesting historical facts

Within the first two years of its publication, Uncle Tom's Cabin was translated into thirty-seven languages. There were fourteen German editions, seventeen French editions, and six Portuguese editions. The book was banned by Russian czars, so people smuggled a Yiddish translation to evade the sensors. In its first year of sales in the United States, Uncle Tom's Cabin sold over 300,000 copies. More than 1.5 million copies were sold in England in the year after its publication.

Despite Stowe's intentions, calling an African-American "Uncle Tom" became one of the worst racial slurs of the time. Due to the success of her book, Stowe built an integrated school in Florida for both children and adults.

Sources: Vassar College Libraries, harrietbeecherstowecenter.org