Considered by many to be a masterpiece of the period, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter is the classic tale about Hester Prynn and her public disgrace. Henry James called it "the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country."
1. Nathaniel Hawthorne: Collected Novels - Library of America
The Library of American presents this volume of works by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne is famous for his studies of New England, and this book includes his greatest classic: The Scarlet Letter, along with The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and Fanshawe, (which he wrote as an undergraduate).2. The Scarlet Letter: Norton Critical Edition
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. W.W. Norton. From the publisher: "The text of The Scarlet Letter offered here is that of the first edition (March 1850), to which the editors have prefixed Hawthorne's brief Preface to the second edition (April 1850). The editors of this Norton Critical Edition were among the first to recognize the validity of this text..."by Gary Scharnhorst (Editor). Greenwood Publishing. From the publisher: "Among the early documents reprinted are contemporary news accounts of Hawthorne's dismissal from the Salem Custom House in June 1849, the publisher James T. Fields's anecdotal version of the book's composition history, and a generous sheaf of notices from both American and British newspapers..."
4. The Scarlet Letter - Random House
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Random House. From the publisher: "A stark and allegorical tale of adultery, guilt, and social repression in Puritan New England, 'The Scarlet Letter' is a foundational work of American literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne's exploration of the dichotomy between the public and private self, internal passion and external convention, gives us the unforgettable Hester Prynne."5. Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter (A Guide)
Elmer Kennedy-Andrews edits this book, published by the Columbia University Press. Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter is an introduction to Hawthorne's famous classic. You'll find historical context for the novel, as well as critical arguments related to the work.6. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (Harold Bloom)
by Harold Bloom. Chelsea House Publishers. From the publisher: "This book offers concise, easy-to-understand biographical, critical, and bibliographical information presented in a user-friendly format for book reports and term papers. Most importantly, it condenses extensive critical research into one compact student handbook."7. Scarlet Letter - Holt
Nathaniel Hawthorne. Holt. From the publisher: "When it first appeared in 1850, The Scarlet Letter enjoyed scandalous success. New England critics condemned its passionate subject matter. One critic complained that Nathaniel Hawthorne invested adultery with all the fascination of genius, and all the charms of a highly polished style."8. The Scarlet Letter (Viking Penguin)
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Viking Penguin. From the publisher: "Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth century Boston, this tale of an adulterous entanglement that results in an illegitimate birth reveals Nathaniel Hawthorne's concerns with the tension between the public and the private self."9. Understanding The Scarlet Letter: A Student Casebook to Issues, Source
by Claudia Durst Johnson. Greenwood Publishing Group.10. The Scarlet Letter - Brilliance Audio
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Brilliance Audio. From the publisher: "'The Scarlet Letter' rightfully deserves its stature as the first great novel written by an American, the novel that announced American literature equal to any in the world."
