The Scarlet Letter is a historical fiction novel about female agency and a woman’s strength, examining social stigma, shame, and fifteenth-century gender roles.

After conceiving a daughter out of wedlock, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet ‘A’ for the rest of her life as punishment. As her child, Pearl, grows up, Hester makes a new life for them both, earning a living with her needlework and performing charitable acts for those less fortunate than herself. Set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony between 1642 and 1649, The Scarlet Letter demonstrates feminist themes and presents free-thinking, independent female characters.

First published in 1850, this new edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel features an introductory chapter by George Edward Woodberry.