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An "A" for "adultery" marks Hester Prynne as an outcast from the society of colonial Boston. Although forced by the puritanical town fathers to wear a bright red badge of shame, Hester steadfastly resists their efforts to discover the identity of her baby's father. The return... Read Full Overview

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was a prominent American novelist and short story writer known for his exploration of moral complexity and human nature. Born in Salem, Massachusetts. His most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter (1850), is considered a masterpiece of American literature... Read Full Overview

Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece, an iconic fable of guilt and redemption set in Puritan Massachusetts, has long been considered one of the greatest American novels. The story of Hester Prynne--found out in adultery, pilloried by her Puritan community, and abandoned, in different... Read Full Overview

The canonical American masterpiece of sin, guilt, and revenge, in an authoritative new edition from Penguin Classics with a foreword by Tom Perrotta

This tragic novel of sin and redemption is Hawthorne's masterpiece of American fiction. An ardent young woman, her cowardly lover, and her aging vengeful husband--these are the central characters in this stark drama of the conflict between passion and convention in the harsh... Read Full Overview

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a classic novel set in Puritanical Boston in the mid-17th century. It tells the story of Hester Prynne, a young woman who is publicly shamed and ostracized for having a child out of wedlock. Hester is forced to wear a scarlet "A" on... Read Full Overview

Chiltern Publishing creates the most beautiful editions of the World's finest literature. Your favorite classic titles in a way you have never seen them before; the tactile layers, fine details and beautiful colors of these remarkable covers make these titles feel extra special... Read Full Overview