Many sources of varying degrees of reliability claim that once, when meeting with the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," Abraham Lincoln allegedly uttered the following phrase: "This little lady started a great war." The novel by the American writer Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) quickly gained worldwide fame and recognition. Written in the sentimental style of "women's prose" typical of the nineteenth century, this book nevertheless produced a tremendous revolution in public sentiment, gaining an important place not only in literary history, but also in history, since the struggle for the abolition of slavery became the noblest reason for the Civil War between the North and the South. And the little woman's book has made an invaluable contribution to this struggle.