Selected Works: The Custom-House, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, The Marble Faun

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

First hardcover edition (Amaranth Press, 1985) with no dust jacket. Bonded leather covers with gold embossing. Aside from slight age-related tanning, this book is in near-perfect condition, with no marks, tears, or stains; binding is tight and solid.

733 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 2003

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history.

Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.

Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.

Reviews

[Heather S. Jones]

I want to add this to remember to read _The Custom House_. In a recent review of Jhumpa Lahiri's new collection of shorts stories, the reviewer informs that following about this book Hawthorne:

“The Custom-House,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, suggests that transplanting people into new soil makes them hardier and more flourishing. Human fortunes may be improved, Hawthorne argues, if men and women “strike their roots into unaccustomed earth.”

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Custom-House" is the "story" of how Nathaniel Hawthorne found the inspirations for "The Scarlet Letter". Interesting read, a lot of detail about the custom-house and those who "work" there. Also a sense of Hawthorne's family history (they started as Hathorne).