The Scarlet Letter (Barnes & Noble Classics)

Good condition

It's a book. The book has pages. The pages have words. The words tell a story. Has some extra notes and highlights in it. Still not bad for a used book.

Really great book, the notes in the book really helped me with AP English. I appreciated them very much, thank you :)

Great book

THE SCARLET LETTER remains as significant today as it did when it was first published. The book, though full of symbolism, is much more than a simple morality tale. It is a tale of passion and lust, truth and lies, life and death, revenge and betrayal. The story illustrates the disasters of living a dishonest and sin-filled life. It serves as a historical text in to an age that has passed away and it gave us one of the first truly feminist characters in American literature. The story remains prevalent because it speaks on so many different levels, illuminating a little of each person as they read. I don't know why this novel is forced upon young minds and influential minds. This book is not meant for the close-minded. Having lived a life as shallow as most Americans do today, it would be hard to appreciate the genius of Hawthorne's masterpiece. This is really a novel for the serious reader only.

This book is a masterpiece of English (not just American) literature. It is as beautiful as prose can be, showcasing the amazing technique and depth that Hawthorne could communicate. It isn't trite story of a puritan scandal; rather, it is a penetrating exploration of shame, redemption, and true love. Melville had it right when he dedicated his book to the "Genius of Hawthorne". Not surprisingly, this is one of the few American novels on the list of Great Books, which should obviate any needless disputes about the quality of this novel constantly brought up by sophmoric readers that have little experience in literature.This edition is nicely bound and quite affordable. For such a great book, the introduction is unfortunately shallow and unscholarly. Instead of exploring the themes or structure of the piece, the write opts for a bland biography of Hawthorne, a light summarization of the novel along with the Custom House prologue, and finishes her essay with some obstuse comparisons of Hester Prynne with Monica Lewinksy. Making such idiotic references to pop culture prompts the reader to wonder if this person understood the book at all.Fortunately, the comments at the end of the novel are what makes this edition valuable. Reading the reviews of contemporaries, including Melville, add to the reader's understanding and they are nice pieces of analysis in themselves. The essay of Hawthorne's own son, Jullian, superbly catches the nuances of Hawthorne's style and should be held as a template for literary analysis.For the price and the reviews at the end, I highly recommend this edition of a timeless classic.

This book is very interesting! Unfortunately it's hard to understand. The version I read was Barnes and Noble Classics 2003, with notes by Nancy Stade. It's about how people deal with sin. What would you do if you were involved with adultery? Hester Prynne had to wear a scarlet A on her clothes as a mark of shame to "purify" her. Arthur Dimmesdale hid his secret for seven years, which tormented him with guilt. Roger Chillingsworth lived a bitter and revengeful life after the incident. I would recommend this book for people who can understand old English. It is a story with a good moral. It talks about confessing sin, the consequences of sin, and forgiving others. - Daniel W.

This book was well written by its author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is considered one of the classics, hence the reason that we read it in AP Lang. But I was most impressed with the price, quality, and speediness of the delivery and book. I was also very happy to see that it was the same version that my whole class had, despite that version's absence from numerous bookstores in my area. Thank you Amazon!!