04-08-04, 12:36 AM DorianGreyed While I had always heard it was Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852), and many library links state that it was the first novel to sell one million, I see that Warner, under the name "Elizabeth Wetherell" wrote "The Wide Wide World" in 1851, and it apparently sold over a million copies. "In 1851 Susan published a novel entitled The Wide, Wide World under the pseudonym "Elizabeth Wetherell." Sentimental and moralistic, the book proved highly popular; it was widely sold in several translations and was reputedly the first book by an American author to sell one million copies." - www.britannica.com This may be one whose answer depends on the wording of the question, since Stowe's book sold very, very quickly*, and may have actually sold one million before Warner's. (Remember that the population of English reading people was nowhere near as large as it is today. I know that "Cabin" was almost immediately translated into French, and sold well in France.) I suspect that there is no way of knowing at this point, but I will continue to look into this.
*"1852 - Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin sells one million copies within the year." - gonzaga.edu 04-08-04, 06:30 PM Judy My information was Harriet Beecher Stowe.
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