The Scarlet Letter

This handsome gift edition presents Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic work, The Scarlet Letter, featuring a luxurious gold embossed cover design, gilded page edges and patterned endpapers.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story of love and adultery caused a stir when it appeared in 1850 and remains a milestone in American fiction. When the elderly husband of Hester Prynne returns unexpectedly to their New England village to find his wife nursing an illegitimate baby and wearing a scarlet letter ’A’ - for Adulteress - embroidered on her dress, he embarks on a vengeful hunt for the child’s father. Hester refuses to name him because he holds a respected position in the Puritan community, and in desperation, the lovers make a secret plan to flee to Europe with their young daughter. The Scarlet Letter was an instant bestseller when it was first published in 1850 and remains so today.

This pocket gift edition contains the classic and unabridged text, presented with a gold embossed cover design, ivory pages, beautifully designed endpapers and goldgilded page edges. Part of the ArcturusOrnate Classics series, this book makes wonderful gift for any lover of classic fiction.

ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Ornate Classics are beautifully bound editions of iconic literary works across history. These compact, foil-embossed hardbacks are printed using deluxe ivory paper and make the perfect gift.

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) was born in Salem, Massachusetts and one of his ancestors was John Hawthorne, the judge at the Salem witch trials. Hawthorne published his first work at the age of 24 and worked at the Boston Custom House while continuing to write. New England features heavily as the backdrop to many of his works.