New York, Privately Printed, 1904., 1904. Large 8vo. Illustrated with 15 plates in two states, colored and uncolored by A. Robandi and C. Graham; 30 plates in all. Full contemporary red morocco with elaborate gilt stamped design of scrolling, small flowers and ruling; marbled endpapers. Fine. Bookplate of . on the front pastedown. One of 125 copies on Imperial Japan paper.. Hardcover. Fine/No Jacket.

Synopsis

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.

Reviews

On Oct 4 2010, Erhanilhan said:

An absolute criticism of Puritan society. Hawthorne portrays the hypocritic sides of the society by pointing its discrepancies and ill-interpreted biblical sides deeds. He also shows that the society was not working in the name of god as stated; instead worked for a group of people (especially powerful) that keep the lines in hand.

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Details

Bookseller: Houle Rare Books & Autographs (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 300849
Title: The Scarlet Letter: A Romance
Author: HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel
Book Condition: Used
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: New York, Privately Printed, 1904.
Date Published: 1904
Bookseller catalogs: LITERATURE;

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Glossary

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Morocco: Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
Bookplate: Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Jacket: Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
Gilt: The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...