The Annotated Uncle Tom's Cabin

This is one of the most impressive books I've ever owned. I haven't gotten to the content yet, but most of the pages contain annotations that greatly clarify the customs, politics, slang and laws of the time. There are tons of illustrations from the time in black & white and many high quality period lithographs in full color.Edit: I've been busy so I'm only 1/3 of the way thru the book. Uncle Tom is infrequently mentioned, so far. Most of the drama involves Eliza and her kid. The book itself is physically heavy, so tough to hold up or set on a knee to read and sometimes the annotations can get tedious to read. IDK if many people today could fully appreciate the content without the annotations, our culture's language, laws, slang, customs and morals have changed so much since that era.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was part of the abolitionist movement. It's not an exaggeration to say that her book was an eye-opener to her generation that tolerated slavery as a necessary evil. Like everyone of her generation she had views that would be considered racist today. She interviewed escaped slaves in Canada (because it wasn't safe for them to remain in the United States thanks to the Dred Scott decision of the Supreme Court). She took their true stories to create her novel about what the system of slavery did, not only to the slaves, but to the slave owners. Otherwise decent people would find themselves doing unthinkable things. One slave owner has business reverses and finds himself selling a child away from his mother. Another slave owner owes the life of his child to a slave and vows to free him--but he dies before he can do it. "Uncle Tom" is now a byword and an epithet, but this man allowed himself to be sold in order to protect his family from being sold down the river to harsher conditions. He died at the hands of Simon LeGree because he wouldn't compromise his morality even at the risk of his own life. Uncle Tom was a true American hero.

After reading this book I really do not understand why black people call other blacks Uncle Tom when all he did was believed in Jesus and saved souls, especially the two black slave task masters one being Sambo wipped and beat him to death. I think a lot of black people need to read this book and stop listening to other people!!

Very detailed analysis of the time period in which this was written. Makes you aware of subtleties that are inherent in the story but need to be brought to attention.Beautiful book in every respect! NICE edition. Definitely a keeper!

The annotated versions of books are always best, especially for research and/or teaching. Dr. Louis-Gates's forward is especially worthwhile.