8 6 5 ▁– ▁November ▁ 1 8 6 6 ), ▁Ga unt ▁delivered ▁" a ▁highly ▁colored ▁story ▁of ▁big amy , ▁murder , ▁and ▁mistaken ▁identity ▁among ▁eigh teenth - century ▁gent ry " ▁with ▁" al most ▁path ological ▁sens ational ism ." ▁Att acks ▁on ▁the ▁book ' s ▁mor ality ▁were ▁primarily ▁from ▁the ▁American ▁press , ▁not ▁the ▁English . ▁ ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Round ▁Table ▁said ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁" inde cent " ▁and ▁that ▁even ▁the ▁" low est ▁sens ational ▁week ly ▁papers " ▁would ▁not ▁publish ▁it . ▁Ex cer pts ▁of ▁the ▁negative ▁review ▁were ▁repub lished ▁in ▁other ▁papers ▁including ▁the ▁London ▁Review . ▁Re ade ▁p enn ed ▁letters ▁of ▁re bu ke ▁to ▁newspaper ▁edit ors , ▁including ▁one ▁titled ▁" The ▁Pr ur ient ▁P ru de " ▁which ▁was ▁repub lished ▁widely . ▁As ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Her ald ▁commented , ▁the ▁attacks ▁on ▁the ▁mor ality ▁of ▁the ▁book ▁and ▁Re ade ' s ▁responses ▁gave ▁the ▁book ▁great ▁popular ity , ▁and ▁they ▁" f ear ▁to ▁inj ure ▁the ▁popular ity ▁of ▁Griff ith ▁Ga unt ▁by ▁stating ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁not ▁a ▁wh it ▁imm oral ▁nor ▁dangerous ." ▁ ▁Re ade ▁su ed ▁for ▁def am ation , ▁and ▁had ▁actor ▁and ▁well - known ▁el oc ution ist ▁George ▁V anden hoff ▁read ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁novel ▁to ▁the ▁j ury . ▁Re ade ▁was ▁awarded ▁six ▁c ents ▁and ▁additional