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The Scarlet Letter
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The Scarlet Letter Paperback - 2015

by Nathaniel Hawthorne; Introduction by Mike Lee Davis


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
  • Author Nathaniel Hawthorne; Introduction by Mike Lee Davis
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 260
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Race Point Publishing
  • Date 2015-02
  • ISBN 9781631060717 / 1631060716
  • Weight 0.78 lbs (0.35 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.75 x 6.13 x 0.63 in (19.69 x 15.57 x 1.60 cm)
  • Reading level 410
  • Library of Congress subjects Historical fiction, Psychological fiction
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 1086793
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was a prolific American writer of fiction, including eight novels. He also worked in local and national politics, with an appointment in Europe during the presidency of Franklin Pierce. Hawthorne is considered to be one of the greatest American writers.

Mike Lee Davis is a retired English professor and the former Honors Program Director at Cameron University. He holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from Princeton University and is the author of Reading the Text That Isn't There: Paranoia in the Nineteenth-century American Novel.

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The Scarlet Letter (Knickerbocker Classics)
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The Scarlet Letter (Knickerbocker Classics)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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The Scarlet Letter (Volume 15) (Knickerbocker Classics, 15)
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The Scarlet Letter (Knickerbocker Classics)
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The Scarlet Letter (Knickerbocker Classics)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781631060717 / 1631060716
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The Scarlet Letter (Volume 15) (Knickerbocker Classics, 15)
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The Scarlet Letter (Volume 15) (Knickerbocker Classics, 15)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Scarlet Letter (Volume 15) (Knickerbocker Classics, 15)
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The Scarlet Letter (Volume 15) (Knickerbocker Classics, 15)

by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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