‘Impossibly rare’: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s corrected page proofs for The Scarlet Letter

The Bruce M. Lisman Collection presents an unrivalled selection of works from Hawthorne’s oeuvre, as well as those of his peers.

‘What lies beyond or above an imitation of life?’ wrote Nathaniel Hawthorne’s son, Julian, in an 1886 review of The Scarlet Letter. ‘Nothing more or less, it must be confessed, than life itself… A soul is in [this book]; it is conceived on the spiritual plane.’

The publication of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter 36 years earlier had set a new foundation for American literature, helping to establish the novel as the preeminent form of writing for the century to come. It centres around Hester Prynne, a woman who gives birth to a child out of wedlock while living in a Puritan society in New England. The eloquence and mastery with which Hawthorne addresses the moral and ethical nuances of the story led to its initial run of 2,500 copies being sold in ten days, and propelled the author to the immediate literary fame that endures to this day.

This is one of many instances in this collection that reveal previously unexplored aspects of Hawthorne’s writing. For fans of his, these are essential editions that delve into his personal relationship to his work. For those who have just begun their foray into early American literature, his proofs offer a uniquely personal connection with one of the most celebrated authors in American history.

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