Written in 1849, and published in 1850, the ‘Scarlet Letter’ was written by the American novelist, transcendentalist and short story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864). Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804, a descendent of Judge John Hathorne a judge during the Salem Witch trials, the sole judge who remained unrepentant of his actions after the trial. Hawthorne considered himself cursed by the actions of his ancestor, adding the ‘w’ to his name to hide the association. Like much of his dark psychological romanticist writing, the Scarlet letter is set in Puritan Massachusetts from 1642 to 1649, and deals with moral allegory, legalism, sin and guilt.

While the text is a reproduction from the first edition. All the artwork is original based upon the story.