HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel. The House of the Seven Gables. Original cloth. Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1851. First edition. Advertisements dated July, 1852. BAL 7604. Head and base of spine and extremities worn, else a very good copy.

Synopsis

First published in 1851, The House of the Seven Gables is one of Hawthorne's defining works, a vivid depiction of American life and values, replete with brilliantly etched characters. The tale of a cursed house with a "mysterious and terrible past" and the generations linked to it, Hawthorne's chronicle of the Maule and Pyncheon families over two centuries reveals, in Mary Oliver's words, "lives caught in the common fire of history." In a sleepy little New England village stands a dark, weather-beaten, many-gabled house. This brooding mansion is haunted by a centuries-old curse that casts the shadow of ancestral sin upon the last four members of the distinctive Pyncheon family. Mysterious deaths threaten the living. Musty documents nestle behind hidden panels carrying the secret of the family's salvation--or its downfall. Hawthorne called The House of the Seven Gables "a Romance," and freely bestowed upon it many fascinating gothic touches. A brilliant intertwining of the popular, the symbolic, and the historical, the novel is a powerful exploration of personal and national guilt, a work that Henry James declared "the closest approach we are likely to have to the Great American Novel." .

Reviews

On Jun 6 2016, a reader said:

I just found a hard back cover edition of this great book on my mother-in-laws book case. She received it for a Christmas present in 1941. It has a number 53 stamped into its back cover. I'm reading it now and enjoying the writers craft and story. I became intrigued with Hawthorne's style and decided to look it up. Thank you for your review and priceless information about the book and the author. I will treasure my copy and forever be grateful to my husbands sweet mother for giving me this window into the past through The House to the Seven Gables. A beautiful reading experience for years to come.

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Details

Bookseller: George S. MacManus Company (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 34029
Title: House of the Seven Gables
Author: HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel
Book Condition: Used
Quantity Available: 1
Keywords: BALIT, LITX

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George S. MacManus Company

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George S. MacManus Company

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About George S. MacManus Company

Our inventory of over 45,000 catalogued titles focuses primarily on 18th and 19th century Americana with specialities such as Voyages and Travels, Local Histories, Indians and the West and the Civil War. Also included in our collection are English and American literary first editions, Limited Edition Club selections and Books about Books.

Glossary

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
First Edition: In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
BAL: Bibliography of American Literature (commonly abbreviated as BAL in descriptions) is the quintessential reference work for any...
Spine: The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....