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The Scarlet Letter (Clydesdale Classics)
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The Scarlet Letter (Clydesdale Classics) Paperback - 2016

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel


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.

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 (Clydesdale Classics)
  • Author Hawthorne, Nathaniel
  • Binding Paperback
  • Pages 208
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Clydesdale Press
  • Date 2016
  • ISBN 9781945186059
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 17th Century
    • Sex & Gender: Feminine

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the most influential and famous writers of the romantic era in America. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on July 4th, 1809. Influenced heavily by the notions of dark romanticism, his stories rely on themes of guilt, sin, and the qualities that define human nature--the large part of his focus being on the psychological aspect of his characters. Hawthorne's friend, an American publisher named James Thomas Fields, convinced him that "The Scarlet Letter"--which was originally planned to be a novelette--should be a full-length novel. Ticknor & Fields soon afterwards published the work. It instantly became a bestseller, regarded as a quintessential member of the literary canon. However, Hawthorne's physical and mental health rapidly declined as he aged, some sources even indicating a psychological regression. Months before he passed, Hawthorne refused to seek treatment and died in his sleep from stomach complications on May 19th, 1864.
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The Scarlet Letter
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Scarlet Letter

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781945186059 / 1945186054
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The Scarlet Letter

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The Scarlet Letter (Clydesdale Classics)
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The Scarlet Letter (Clydesdale Classics)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781945186059 / 1945186054
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The Scarlet Letter (Clydesdale Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Scarlet Letter (Clydesdale Classics)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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  • Paperback
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Used: Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781945186059 / 1945186054
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The Scarlet Letter (Clydesdale Classics)
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The Scarlet Letter (Clydesdale Classics)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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  • Paperback
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Used:Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781945186059 / 1945186054
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The Scarlet Letter
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The Scarlet Letter

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781945186059 / 1945186054
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by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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