Nathaniel Hawthorne

A collection of some of Hawthorne's best short stories. The talew all incorporate scenes and themes from New England history and it demonstrates young Hawthorne's mastery of the genre.

First published in 1852, "The Blithedale Romance" is the third of Nathaniel Hawthorne's romantic novels. Set in the utopian communal farm called Blithedale in the 1840's, the novel tells the story of four inhabitants of the commune: Hollingsworth, a misogynist philanthropist obsessed with turning Blithedale into a colony for the reformation of criminals; Zenobia, a passionate feminist; Priscilla, a mysterious lady with a hidden agenda who turns out...

Mosses from an Old Manse is a short story collection by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in 1846. Many of the tales collected in Mosses from an Old Manse are allegories and, typical of Hawthorne, focus on the negative side of human nature.

This extraordinary fragment, left incomplete at the author's death, hints at the direction Hawthorne's genius may have taken had he lived. Ironically, the subject is the search-through science rather than magic-for an "elixir of life." Poignantly, the unfinished manuscript lay upon Hawthorne's coffin during the author's funeral services.

Hawthorne's son Julian edited and published his father's last, unfinished novel-"undress rehearsals"-in 1882. A story involving the narrator, an archetypal mad scientist, a lovely young woman, and a sexy maid creates a real science-fiction type romance. A New England setting and a Gothic theme give the novel a feeling of completeness, despite its lack of a true end.

Step into the haunting and introspective world of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Christmas Banquet. In this darkly contemplative holiday tale, Hawthorne presents a gathering unlike any other-a Christmas banquet where the guests are bound by their sorrows, regrets, and life's unfulfilled desires. The story follows a mysterious host who invites individuals to join in the festivities, creating an atmosphere filled with both somber reflection and eerie revelations. Narrated...