History's Best Selling Books of 1871

Extra! Extra! Step right up to inspect the definitive collection of first-rate books releases from 1871. Discover the genuine articles of American ingenuity that captured the public's fancy and won nationwide acclaim during this historic era.

1. The Hoosier Schoolmaster

   Released in 1871 by Edward Eggleston, Scribner's Monthly, Charles Scribner's Sons

   Published as a book in 1871, 'The Hoosier Schoolmaster' holds immense historical significance as one of the earliest and most successful examples of American local color fiction. It captured a specific moment in American history, documenting the transition from rough-and-tumble frontier life to a more settled, yet still distinct, Midwestern identity in the years following the Civil War. Its immediate popularity not only launched Edward Eggleston's career but also validated a new literary approach that emphasized regional dialects, customs, and landscapes, thereby broadening the scope of American literature beyond the established centers of the East. The novel's authentic portrayal of rural Indiana life struck a chord with a nation grappling with its diverse regional identities, firmly establishing local color as a vital literary movement.