<P> In the first year of publication, 300,000 copies of Uncle Tom's Cabin were sold . At that point, however, "demand came to an unexpected halt...No more copies were produced for many years, and if, as is claimed, Abraham Lincoln greeted Stowe in 1862 as' the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war,' the work had effectively been out of print for many years ." Jewett went out of business, and it was not until Ticknor and Fields put the work back in print in November 1862 that demand began again to increase . </P> <P> The book was translated into all major languages, and in the United States it became the second best - selling book after the Bible . A number of the early editions carried an introduction by Rev James Sherman, a Congregational minister in London noted for his abolitionist views . Uncle Tom's Cabin sold equally well in Britain, with the first London edition appearing in May 1852 and selling 200,000 copies . In a few years over 1.5 million copies of the book were in circulation in Britain, although most of these were infringing copies (a similar situation occurred in the United States). </P> <P> The book opens with a Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby facing the loss of his farm because of debts . Even though he and his wife Emily Shelby believe that they have a benevolent relationship with their slaves, Shelby decides to raise the needed funds by selling two of them--Uncle Tom, a middle - aged man with a wife and children, and Harry, the son of Emily Shelby's maid Eliza--to a slave trader . Emily Shelby is averse to this idea because she had promised her maid that her child would never be sold; Emily's son, George Shelby, hates to see Tom go because he sees the man as his friend and mentor . </P> <P> When Eliza overhears Mr. and Mrs. Shelby discussing plans to sell Tom and Harry, Eliza determines to run away with her son . The novel states that Eliza made this decision because she fears losing her only surviving child (she had already miscarried two children). Eliza departs that night, leaving a note of apology to her mistress . </P>

Where does uncle tom's cabin take place