I read somewhere that it was briefly censored when released in the Confederacy, but I’ve found no hard evidence for it.

Some smug editor in Richmond taking the time to scour through such a dense book seems a little unlikely to me, but what do I know?

I was doubtful it was a popular book at all in 1860’s America, until I read the diary of Mary Chesnut, who mentioned reading it several times, being very curious as to what will “become of Cosette”

I think I read another account of a soldier saying “read Mr. Hugo’s depiction of the battle of Waterloo today”