Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)

The Scarlet Letter

A Romance

Introduction by Alfred Kazin

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Introduction by Kathryn Harrison

By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Introduction by Kathryn Harrison

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Introduction by Alfred Kazin

By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Introduction by Alfred Kazin

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Read by Donada Peters

By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Read by Donada Peters

Best Seller

Part of Vintage Classics

Part of Modern Library Classics

Part of Everyman's Library Classics Series

Paperback $8.00

Aug 26, 2014 | ISBN 9780804171571

Paperback $8.00

Sep 19, 2000 | ISBN 9780679783381

Mass Market Paperback $4.95

Feb 01, 1981 | ISBN 9780553210095

Hardcover $21.00

Nov 03, 1992 | ISBN 9780679417316

Ebook $1.99

Feb 04, 2003 | ISBN 9780553897364

Audiobook Download $18.00

May 10, 2011 | 417 Minutes | Young Adult

All Formats
+
    The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
    Paperback $8.00
    Sep 19, 2000 | ISBN 9780679783381

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    See All Formats (5) +

    Paperback (3)
    –

    • Paperback $8.00

      Aug 26, 2014 | ISBN 9780804171571

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Paperback $8.00

      Sep 19, 2000 | ISBN 9780679783381

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Mass Market Paperback $4.95

      Feb 01, 1981 | ISBN 9780553210095

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Hardcover
    +

    • Hardcover $21.00

      Nov 03, 1992 | ISBN 9780679417316

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Ebook
    +

    • Ebook

      Feb 04, 2003 | ISBN 9780553897364

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Audio
    +

    • Audiobook Download

      May 10, 2011 | ISBN 9780307916174 | Young Adult

      417 Minutes

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Audiobook Download:

    About The Scarlet Letter

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s masterpiece, an iconic fable of guilt and redemption set in Puritan Massachusetts, has long been considered one of the greatest American novels.
     
    The story of Hester Prynne—found out in adultery, pilloried by her Puritan community, and abandoned, in different ways, by both her partner in sin and her vengeance-seeking husband—possesses a reality heightened by Hawthorne’s sympathy and his unmixed devotion to his supposedly fallen but fundamentally innocent heroine. The Scarlet Letter rightly deserves its stature as the first great novel written by an American, a work of moral force and narrative power that announced a literature equal to any in the world.

    About The Scarlet Letter

    Introduction by Kathryn Harrison
    Commentary by Nathaniel Hawthorne, W. D. Howells, and Carl Van Doren
     
    A stark 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, who discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time. As Kathryn Harrison points out in her Introduction, Hester is “the herald of the modern heroine.”
     
    Includes a Modern Library Reading Group Guide

    About The Scarlet Letter

    Hailed by Henry James as "the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country," Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter reaches to our nation’s historical and moral roots for the material of great tragedy. Set in an early New England colony, the novel shows the terrible impact a single, passionate act has on the lives of three members of the community: the defiant Hester Prynne; the fiery, tortured Reverend Dimmesdale; and the obsessed, vengeful Chillingworth.

    With The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne became the first American novelist to forge from our Puritan heritage a universal classic, a masterful exploration of humanity’s unending struggle with sin, guilt and pride.

    About The Scarlet Letter

    Hester Prynne is a beautiful young woman. She is also an outcast. In the eyes of her neighbours she has committed an unforgivable sin. Everyone knows that her little daughter Pearl is the product of an illicit affair but no one knows the identity of Pearl’s father. Hester’s refusal to name him brings more condemnation upon her. But she stands strong in the face of public scorn, even when she is forced to wear the sign of her shame sewn onto her clothes: the scarlet letter “A” for “Adulteress.”

    The story of Hester Prynne–found out in adultery, pilloried by her Puritan community, and abandoned, in different ways, by both her partner in sin and her vengeance-seeking husband–possesses a reality heightened by Hawthorne’s pure human sympathy and his unmixed devotion to his supposedly fallen but fundamentally innocent heroine.

    In its moral force and the beauty of its conciliations, The Scarlet Letter rightly deserves its stature as the first great novel written by an American, the novel that announced an American literature equal to any in the world.

    About The Scarlet Letter

    Hailed by Henry James as "the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country," Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter reaches to our nation’s historical and moral roots for the material of great tragedy. Set in an early New England colony, the novel shows the terrible impact a single, passionate act has on the lives of three members of the community: the defiant Hester Prynne; the fiery, tortured Reverend Dimmesdale; and the obsessed, vengeful Chillingworth.

    With The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne became the first American novelist to forge from our Puritan heritage a universal classic, a masterful exploration of humanity’s unending struggle with sin, guilt and pride.

    About The Scarlet Letter

    Introduction by Kathryn Harrison
    Commentary by Nathaniel Hawthorne, W. D. Howells, and Carl Van Doren
     
    A stark 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, who discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time. As Kathryn Harrison points out in her Introduction, Hester is “the herald of the modern heroine.”
     
    Includes a Modern Library Reading Group Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Listen to a sample from The Scarlet Letter

    Also in Everyman’s Library Classics Series

    Novels, Tales, Journeys
    The Best of Tagore

    Also by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    The Scarlet Letter
    Hawthorne's Short Stories
    The House of the Seven Gables
    The Scarlet Letter
    The Scarlet Letter
    See all books by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Also by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    The Scarlet Letter
    Hawthorne's Short Stories
    The House of the Seven Gables
    The Scarlet Letter
    The Scarlet Letter
    See all books by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Also by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    The Scarlet Letter
    Hawthorne's Short Stories
    The House of the Seven Gables
    The Scarlet Letter
    The Scarlet Letter
    See all books by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Also by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    The Scarlet Letter
    Hawthorne's Short Stories
    The House of the Seven Gables
    The Scarlet Letter
    The Scarlet Letter
    See all books by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Also by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    The Scarlet Letter
    Hawthorne's Short Stories
    The House of the Seven Gables
    The Scarlet Letter
    The Scarlet Letter
    See all books by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Also by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    The Scarlet Letter
    Hawthorne's Short Stories
    The House of the Seven Gables
    The Scarlet Letter
    The Scarlet Letter
    See all books by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    About Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Nathaniel Hawthorne (1805–64) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from Bowdoin College. His first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828, followed by several collections of short stories, including Twice-Told Tales and Mosses from an… More about Nathaniel Hawthorne

    About Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Nathaniel Hawthorne (1805–64) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from Bowdoin College. His first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828, followed by several collections of short stories, including Twice-Told Tales and Mosses from an… More about Nathaniel Hawthorne

    About Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Nathaniel Hawthorne (1805–64) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from Bowdoin College. His first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828, followed by several collections of short stories, including Twice-Told Tales and Mosses from an… More about Nathaniel Hawthorne

    About Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Nathaniel Hawthorne (1805–64) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from Bowdoin College. His first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828, followed by several collections of short stories, including Twice-Told Tales and Mosses from an… More about Nathaniel Hawthorne

    About Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Nathaniel Hawthorne (1805–64) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from Bowdoin College. His first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828, followed by several collections of short stories, including Twice-Told Tales and Mosses from an… More about Nathaniel Hawthorne

    About Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Nathaniel Hawthorne (1805–64) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from Bowdoin College. His first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828, followed by several collections of short stories, including Twice-Told Tales and Mosses from an… More about Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Product Details

    Category: Fiction Classics | Literary Fiction | Historical Fiction

    Paperback | $8.00
    Published by Vintage
    Aug 26, 2014 | 288 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780804171571

    Category: Fiction Classics | Literary Fiction | Historical Fiction

    Paperback | $8.00
    Published by Modern Library
    Sep 19, 2000 | 304 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780679783381

    Category: Fiction Classics | Literary Fiction | Historical Fiction

    Mass Market Paperback | $4.95
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Feb 01, 1981 | 256 Pages | 4-3/16 x 6-7/8 | ISBN 9780553210095

    Category: Fiction Classics | Literary Fiction | Historical Fiction

    Hardcover | $21.00
    Published by Everyman’s Library
    Nov 03, 1992 | 312 Pages | 5 x 8 | ISBN 9780679417316

    Category: Fiction Classics | Literary Fiction | Historical Fiction

    Ebook | $1.99
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Feb 04, 2003 | 256 Pages | ISBN 9780553897364

    Category: Literary Fiction | Historical Fiction | Teen & Young Adult | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $18.00
    Published by Listening Library
    May 10, 2011 | 417 Minutes | Young Adult | ISBN 9780307916174
    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Praise

    "[Nathaniel Hawthorne] recaptured, for his New England, the essence of Greek tragedy." –Malcolm Cowley

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
    Get the latest updates about Nathaniel Hawthorne
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    By clicking “SIGN UP”, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.
    Dismiss
    Thanks!
    Something awesome is on its way.
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Raise kids who love to read

    Raise kids who love to read

    Today's Top Books

    Want to know what people are actually reading right now?

     An online magazine for today’s home cook

    An online magazine for today’s home cook