Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter. Art-Type Edition, The World's Popular Classics. Books Inc. No date given. Book is in very good condition, turquoise green paper boards with impressed marbled lines. Corners good. Gold lettering on spine. No dust jacket. Pages of text block foxed/yellowed with remains of red inking to top of text block. No splotching to text block edges, no markings or writings inside the book. 242 pages. Very decorative/collectible for display.
After some research on "World’s Popular Classics – A Series of Series" by John Krygier, "Books, Inc. was a purveyor of very cheap, copyright-free hardcover reprint books from the late 1930s onward. They advertised in periodicals such as Chain Store Age, suggesting their books were aimed at department stores, grocery stores, dime stores, etc.... from the latter half of the 20th century." This copy appears that old due to the yellowing of pages.
Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, during the years 1642 to 1649, The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and will not reveal her lover’s identity. The scarlet letter A (for adultery) she has to wear on her clothes, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. She struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
First published March 16, 1850. A classic of American literature!