Skip to content

Scarlet Letter
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Scarlet Letter Paperback - 1994

by Nathaniel Hawthorne


About this book

The Scarlet Letter: A Romance (1850) is considered the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'masterwork.' A work of historical fiction set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Puritan settlement of 1642-1949 itells the story of Hester Prynne, who after having a child as a result of an extra-marital affair attempts to live a life of repentance and dignity although she is marked by having to wear a Scarlett A on her person. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.

The Scarlett Letter was one of the first mass-produced novels in the United States, prior printing of books generally done by hand. The 2,500 copies first printed sold out in days, and the mass-production of books opened up conversation about books and authors to a wider-audience on a national level. The first edition of The Scarlet Letter sold out in ten days and “made Hawthorne’s fame, changed his fortune and gave to our literature its first symbolic novel a year before the appearance of Melville’s Moby-Dick” (Bradley). Although an instant best-seller, the books sales over fourteen years only brought the author $1500.

Summary

A stark and allegorical tale of adultery, guilt, and social repression in Puritan New England, The Scarlet Letter is a foundational work of American literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne's exploration of the dichotomy between the public and private self, internal passion and external convention, gives us the unforgettable Hester Prynne, who discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time.

From the publisher

Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth-century Boston, this tale of an adulterous entanglement that results in an illegitimate birth reveals Nathaniel Hawthorne's concerns with the tension between the public and the private selves.

First Edition Identification

First edition published by Ticknor, Reeds and Fields, in Boston 1850. Main first edition marker is "reduplicate" instead of "repudiate" on page 21 Four page publisher's adverts at front dated March 1, 1850 and preceding the free end paper. The brown T-cloth favored by Ticknor & Fields is famous for becoming brittle with age, and cracking or fraying at the spine tips. First editions can run upwards of $20,000.

The second edition adds a preface and has a Metcalf imprint on verso of title-page. The third printing has the same preface but has a Hobart & Robbins imprint on verso of title-page.

Details

  • Title Scarlet Letter
  • Author Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 240
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, Limited (UK), London
  • Date May 26, 1994
  • ISBN 9780140620801 / 014062080X
  • Ages 12 to 17 years
  • Grade levels 7 - 12
  • Reading level 410
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

The Scarlet Letter
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Scarlet Letter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • Used
  • Paperback
  • first
Condition
Used - Near Fine (ABOVE AVERAGE)
Edition
This is a First Edition of This Edition
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Peter Tavy, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$10.68
NZ$25.64 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
London: Penguin, 1994. A Penguin Popular Classic..........Please e-mail for further details.. Not Signed or Inscribed. This is a First Edition of This Edition. Colour Illustrated Paperback. Near Fine (ABOVE AVERAGE)/No Jacket. Illus. by Not Illustrated. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾". PAPERBACK.
Item Price
NZ$10.68
NZ$25.64 shipping to USA
The Scarlet Letter
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Scarlet Letter

by Hawthorne, Nathanial

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080x
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$8.52
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, Limited. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
NZ$8.52
FREE shipping to USA
The Scarlet Letter
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Scarlet Letter

by Nataniel Hawthorne

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080x
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Morangis, France
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$8.52
NZ$20.45 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, Limited (UK), 1994. Paperback. Very Good. Different cover. Ammareal gives back up to 15% of this book's net price to charity organizations.
Item Price
NZ$8.52
NZ$20.45 shipping to USA
The Scarlet Letter
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Scarlet Letter

by Hawthorne, Nathanial

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080x
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Dunfermline, Fife, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$8.95
NZ$17.04 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, Limited. Used - Very Good. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
NZ$8.95
NZ$17.04 shipping to USA
Scarlet Letter
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Scarlet Letter

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$10.21
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, Limited (UK), 2004. Paperback. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$10.21
FREE shipping to USA
The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne, Nathaniel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne, Nathaniel

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Doncaster, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$14.83
NZ$42.73 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, 1994-05-26. Paperback. Good. Cover has some wear.
Item Price
NZ$14.83
NZ$42.73 shipping to USA
Scarlet Letter (Penguin Popular Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Scarlet Letter (Penguin Popular Classics)

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Edition
First edition & printing in this
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$13.22
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, Limited (UK), 2004-05-27. First edition & printing in this. Paperback. Good.
Item Price
NZ$13.22
FREE shipping to USA
The Scarlet Letter (Penguin Popular Classics)

The Scarlet Letter (Penguin Popular Classics)

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used-Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Temecula, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$13.63
NZ$5.96 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
This book is in very good condition. There are some black marks on the front inside cover and a small tear on the front edge of the cover. The cover is otherwise shiny and smooth. The pages are crisp and clean with no writing or marks to the cover or pages. Despite the listed imperfections, this book is in bookstore/gift giving condition.
Item Price
NZ$13.63
NZ$5.96 shipping to USA
The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good Condition
Edition
reprint
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080x
Quantity Available
1
Seller
melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$10.12
NZ$20.02 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin, London, 1994. reprint. Softcover. Very Good Condition/No Dust Jacket. 1 page dogeared; no other damage. The scarlet letter is the tragic story of a woman's shame and the cruel treatment she suffers at the hands of the Puritan society in which she lives. Size: 12mo (standard paperback). The book is a secondhand book with reading creases to the spine, and darkening of the page edges, and previous owner's name on the 1st page, but is otherwise clean, and free of annotation. Please refer to accompanying picture (s). Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Literature & Literary; ISBN: 014062080x. ISBN/EAN: 9780140620801. Inventory No: 0251006. . 9780140620801
Item Price
NZ$10.12
NZ$20.02 shipping to USA
The Scarlet Letter.

The Scarlet Letter.

by HAWTHORNE, Nathanie.-

  • Used
Condition
Used
Edition
Penguin Popular Popular Classics, 1994, London.
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140620801 / 014062080X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
VALENCINA DE LA CONCEPCIÓN (Sevilla), Sevilla, Spain
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$20.09
NZ$31.05 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Popular Popular Classics, 1994, London.. 18x11. 234 pgs. Texto en ingles. Firma anterior poseedor. 660944
Item Price
NZ$20.09
NZ$31.05 shipping to USA