The Scarlet Letter Mass market paperbound - 2004 - 2004th Edition

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.

Details

• Title The Scarlet Letter
• Author Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Binding Mass Market Paperbound
• Edition number 2004th
• Edition 2004
• Pages 372
• Volumes 1
• Language ENG
• Publisher Simon & Schuster, New York, New York, U.S.A.
• Date 2004-05-01
• Features Table of Contents
• ISBN 9780743487566 / 0743487567
• Weight 0.43 lbs (0.20 kg)
• Dimensions 6.85 x 4.2 x 1.09 in (17.40 x 10.67 x 2.77 cm)
• Reading level 1280
• Themes
  • Chronological Period: 17th Century
  • Chronological Period: 18th Century
  • Cultural Region: New England
  • Geographic Orientation: Massachusetts
• Library of Congress subjects Historical fiction, Psychological fiction
• Library of Congress Catalog Number 2005270414
• Dewey Decimal Code FIC