Written less than a century after Independence, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works helped to found the American literary canon. His writing – especially his most famous works, The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables – draws clear inspiration from the early history of Salem and from his work in Salem’s Custom House, where he witnessed the waning years of the booming maritime trade that once helped build the city.
Our collection of Hawthorne’s work contains some of our archives most prized pieces, including several rare first editions of his work and several inscribed copies.