The Scarlet Letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. Illustrations by Chris Duke. Limited Edition. Franklin Library. Franklin Center, 1978.

First published in 1850 but set in Puritan colonial America, The Scarlet Letter is one of the founding classics of American Literature. It is a tale of a child born out of wedlock. The main character, Hester Prynne, must navigate a patriarchal world with her newborn child, and forever wear the scarlet “A”. The work met polarizing reviews in Hawthorne’s lifetime; although, most were positive. But in the 20th century, modernist authors and critics returned to the novel with high praise. D.H. Lawrence called it a “perfect work of the American imagination.”

This limited edition is in fine condition. In the original leather, finely gilt stamped. Raised bands. Gilt spine label. Text block fine. Gilt edges. Silk moire endpapers and bookmark sewn in.

A fine collector’s copy of Hawthorne’s classic.