The Scarlet Letter Paperback - 2006

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.

Details

• Title The Scarlet Letter
• Author Nathaniel Hawthorne; Susan S. Williams (Editor)
• Binding Paperback
• Edition First Edition
• Pages 192
• Volumes 1
• Language ENG
• Publisher Bedford Books, New York
• Date July 31, 2006
• Illustrated Yes
• Features Glossary, Illustrated, Table of Contents
• ISBN 9780312446499 / 0312446497
• Weight 0.45 lbs (0.20 kg)
• Dimensions 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.4 in (20.57 x 13.72 x 1.02 cm)
• Reading level 1280
• Themes
  • Cultural Region: New England
  • Geographic Orientation: Massachusetts
  • Religious Orientation: Christian
• Library of Congress subjects Historical fiction, Psychological fiction
• Library of Congress Catalog Number 2005935045
• Dewey Decimal Code FIC