4to. Custom half leather binding by Sangorski & Sutcliffe with blue leather spine & fore edges, blue cloth covered boards. Raised bands, tooled in gilt. Top edge gilt. Marbled end papers. Original blue cloth binding material bound in at rear of book. First illustrated edition. Illustrated by Hugh Thomson. Minor fading to hinges, some pages foxed, else in fine condition.

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.

(Log in or Create an Account first!)

Details

Bookseller: Maxwell's Bookmark (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 330
Title: THE SCARLET LETTER.
Author: Hawthorne, Nathaniel
Book Condition: Used
Edition: First illustrated edition.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: London: Methuen & Co. 1920.

Terms of Sale

Maxwell's Bookmark

Returnable for any reason within 7 days of receipt

About the Seller

Maxwell's Bookmark

This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Biblio member since 2005

Stockton, California

Ask Seller a Question

About Maxwell's Bookmark

By appointment only.

Glossary
Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

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...
Edges: The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
Foxed: Foxing is the age related browning, or brown-yellowish spots, that can occur to book paper over time. When this aging process...
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....
Raised Band(s): Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Top Edge Gilt: Top edge gilt refers to the practice of applying gold or a gold-like finish to the top of the text block (the edges the pages...