New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984. First Edition Stated . Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. Barry Moser. Woodcut illustrations by Barry Moser. Introduction by Alexander Eliot. Not for resale stamped on bottom of text block otherwise fine.

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: The Book Shelf (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 013673
Title: The Scarlet Letter, A Romance
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Illustrator: Barry Moser
Format/Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Used - Near Fine
Jacket Condition: Near Fine
Quantity Available: 1
Edition: First Edition Stated
ISBN 10: 0151795681
ISBN 13: 9780151795680
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Place of Publication: New York
Date Published: 1984

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Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Text Block: Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
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...