“The Scarlet Letter is so terrible in its pictures of diseased human nature as to produce most questionable delight. The reader's interest never flags for a moment.”- Anthony Trollope

Look Inside the Book

"Everyone thinks they know what the Puritans were like, and a big part of the reason why they think they know this can be found in this book, The Scarlet Letter ." -From Douglas Wilson's Introduction

Hester Prynne is an adulteress, and the bright red ‘A’ sewed on to her dress forever separates her from the other sad-colored inhabitants of her New England hometown. But no one else knows who the father of Hester’s pixie-like child is—and that sordid mystery eats at the townspeople. Months stretch into years for the uncomplaining and dignified Hester, providing some of her begrudging neighbors with ample opportunity for prying, hypocrisy, contempt, and a whole welter of the darkest of human sins, including an all-consuming desire for revenge.

This Canon Classic is a novel of two intense natures, unflinchingly grim and melancholic yet capable of passionate and unrestrained emotion. The Canon Classics series presents the most definitive works of Western literature in a colorful, well-crafted, and affordable way. Unlike many other thrift editions, our classics are printed on thicker text stock and feature individualized designs that prioritize readability by means of proper margins, leading, characters per line, font, trim size, etc. Each book’s materials and layout combine to make the classics a simple and striking addition to classrooms and homes, ideal for introducing the best of literary culture and human experience to the next generation.

This Worldview Edition features an introduction divided into sections on The World Around, About the Author, What Other Notables Said, Setting, Characters, & Plot Summary, Worldview Analysis, and 21 Discussion Questions & Answers.