HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel.
The Scarlet Letter.
Boston: Ticknor, Reed and Fields , 1850.
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+$450
First Edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Classic Novel The Scarlet Letter; Finely Bound
First edition, with 4 pages publisher's advertisements inserted between preliminary blanks, dated March 1, 1850, one of only 2500 copies printed. Octavo, bound in full morocco by Riviere & Son with gilt titles to the spine, raised bands, double gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, inner dentelles, the letter A embossed in crimson and gold to the front panel, original cloth bound-in. Housed in a custom slipcase. In near fine condition. An exceptional example.
"The most memorable and original aspect of The Scarlet Letter lies in Hawthorne's portrait of Hester Prynne, who has been described as "the first true heroine of American fiction", a woman whose experience evokes the biblical fate of Eve. Hawthorne's achievement is to make her passion noble, her defiance heartbreaking and her frailty inspiring. She becomes the archetype of the free-thinking American woman grappling with herself and her sexuality in a cold, patriarchal society" (The Guardian). 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).
The Scarlet Letter.
$4,500.00
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