The Scarlet Letter. A Romance.
by Hawthorne, Nathaniel
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Near Fine
- Seller
-
Harwich Port, Massachusetts, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
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.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Scarlet Letter. A Romance.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Rose's Books, IOBA (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 009575
- Title
- The Scarlet Letter. A Romance.
- Author
- Hawthorne, Nathaniel
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Edition
- Early Reprint
- Publisher
- J. M. Dent
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1919
- Size
- 12mo - over 6¾" - 7&
Terms of Sale
Rose's Books, IOBA
About the Seller
Rose's Books, IOBA
About Rose's Books, IOBA
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Reprint
- Any printing of a book which follows the original edition. By definition, a reprint is not a first edition.
- 12mo
- A duodecimo is a book approximately 7 by 4.5 inches in size, or similar in size to a contemporary mass market paperback. Also...
- 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...
- 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....
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Half Title
- The blank front page which appears just prior to the title page, and typically contains only the title of the book, although, at...