Beadle's Dime Novels No. 33: Maum Guinea and Her Plantation Children

About this issue

This Beadle Dime Novel double issue from 1861 contains two serials. The first, "Ruth Mawgerie: A Romance of the Revolt of 1689" by Mrs. M. A. Denison, is set during the Massachusetts Bay Colony's revolt against Sir Edmund Andros, weaving historical events into a romantic narrative reminiscent of Hawthorne's work. The second, "Maum Guinea and Her Plantation 'Children': Holiday-Week on a Louisiana Estate" by Metta V. Victor, presents slave plantation life during Christmas. The opening chapter depicts flirtation between Hyperion, an enslaved valet, and Rose, a enslaved lady's maid. A young white couple, Philip Fairfax and Virginia Bell, exchange notes via servants regarding a Christmas festival. The text includes character descriptions of enslaved individuals and introduces Maum Guinea, a mysterious cook newly arrived at the plantation. The author claims historical authenticity in depicting enslaved life's "varied relations" and promises accounts of slave narratives including Nat Turner's insurrection.