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The Scarlet Letter [with signature]
by HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel
- Used
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Winchester, Virginia, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1850. First Edition. First and only printing, with the contents listed on pp.iii-iv and without the preface added in the second edition. Octavo (19cm). Blindstamped brown cloth, titled in gilt on spine, pale yellow endpapers; iv,322pp. Title page printed in two colors. With Hawthorne's signature clipped from a Salem Custom-House document, and tipped in facing title page. Bookplate of Francis H. Underwood to front pastedown. Former dealer's pencil notes to front free e.p. A skillfully rebacked copy, with original backstrip laid down; expert conservation to board corners; straight, sound, and complete, the text quite fresh; Very Good.
An appealing copy, despite the repairs, with Hawthorne's signature clipped from a customs document. Hawthorne famously wrote the novel while working at the Salem Custom House, and opened it with a frame narrative in which the narrator discovers the preserved scarlet A itself. A significant association copy, bearing the bookplate of the founder and first associate editor of The Atlantic Monthly, to which Hawthorne would become a regular a contributor. One of 2500 copies printed. State x1 of gathering 21 (no priority) and state a2 of the prelims, per Myerson. MYERSON 16.1. BAL 7600. GROLIER AMERICAN 100 no. 59.
An appealing copy, despite the repairs, with Hawthorne's signature clipped from a customs document. Hawthorne famously wrote the novel while working at the Salem Custom House, and opened it with a frame narrative in which the narrator discovers the preserved scarlet A itself. A significant association copy, bearing the bookplate of the founder and first associate editor of The Atlantic Monthly, to which Hawthorne would become a regular a contributor. One of 2500 copies printed. State x1 of gathering 21 (no priority) and state a2 of the prelims, per Myerson. MYERSON 16.1. BAL 7600. GROLIER AMERICAN 100 no. 59.
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 [with signature]
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
- Lorne Bair Rare Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 58883
- Title
- The Scarlet Letter [with signature]
- Author
- HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Ticknor, Reed, and Fields
- Place of Publication
- Boston
- Date Published
- 1850
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature Before 1900;
Terms of Sale
Lorne Bair Rare Books
All items are offered subject to prior sale. Orders must be prepaid, though billing may be arranged for institutions and customers with established credit. Payment may be made by Check, Money Order, Paypal or by valid credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover). Any item may be returned within 10 days of receipt for full refund. Signed and manuscript items carry an unlimited guarantee of authenticity.
About the Seller
Lorne Bair Rare Books
Biblio member since 2006
Winchester, Virginia
About Lorne Bair Rare Books
Lorne Bair Rare Books specializes in books, mansuscripts, and printed ephemera relating to American Social History, with an emphasis on radical and utopian movements of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. We are available in our showroom by appointment, at shows, and on-line through various booksellers' sites or at our website www.lornebair.com.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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....
- Rebacked
- having had the material covering the spine replaced. ...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- BAL
- Bibliography of American Literature (commonly abbreviated as BAL in descriptions) is the quintessential reference work for any...
- 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...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Tipped In
- Tipped In is used to describe something which has been glued into a book. Tipped-in items can include photos, book plates,...
- 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...
- E.P.
- The double leaves bound into a book at the front and rear after ...
- Association Copy
- An association copy is a copy of a book which has been signed and inscribed by the author for a personal friend, colleague, or...
- 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...
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