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The Scarlet Letter
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The Scarlet Letter Paperback - 1996

by Nathaniel Hawthorne; C. W. Bigsby (Editor)


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 two centuries from Hawthorne's own time, The Scarlet Letter (1850) sets its heroine, Hester Prynne, into the shaping early moments of American history. The mother of an illegitimate child, Hester is compelled both by her Puritan community and her awareness of her own moral autonomy to wear a scarlet letter A, a symbol of her adultery, upon her clothes. Her child is seen as the evidence of her sin and her refusal to name her lover taken as a token of her moral perversity. However, Hester emerges from the novel a woman whose integrity is intact. Born from the heart of New England, The Scarlet Letter is as much about individualchoice and moral responsibilities as about the birth pangs of a nation.

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 The Scarlet Letter
  • Author Nathaniel Hawthorne; C. W. Bigsby (Editor)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Pages 256
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Orion Publishing Group, North Clarendon, Vermont, U.S.A.
  • Date December 1996
  • ISBN 9780460877855 / 0460877852
  • Weight 0.39 lbs (0.18 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.4 x 4.52 x 0.65 in (21.34 x 11.48 x 1.65 cm)
  • Reading level 410
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC
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The Scarlet Letter (Everyman's Library)
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The Scarlet Letter (Everyman's Library)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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Scarlet Letter, The (Everyman's Library)
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Scarlet Letter, The (Everyman's Library)

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Orion Publishing Group, Ltd., October 1996. Trade Paperback . Used - Good. Slight wear. May have minor sticker residue, marks, or writing. Our service is second to none because we use easy to remove inventory tags and ship every day so your book arrives quicker! As an independent bookstore in the Midwest, we thank you for the support. Satisfaction guaranteed in all transactions. Let us know what we can do to help!
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The Scarlet Letter (Everyman's Library)

The Scarlet Letter (Everyman's Library)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Scarlet Letter, The (Everyman's Library)
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Scarlet Letter, The (Everyman's Library)

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780460877855 / 0460877852
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