| Sumario: | This essay discusses the career in both Great Britain and the United States of actor and author Susanna Rowson (1762-1824), and especially the publication history of her book "Charlotte Temple," the first American bestselling novel. First appearing in England in 1791, the novel was published in the U.S. in 1794 and in subsequent editions by Philadelphia publisher Mathew Carey. Though Carey is often seen to have taken financial advantage of Rowson by exploiting copyright law and her gender, Rowson's own decisions and agency in the publication and reprinting of her works are discussed.
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