CENTENARY ED WORKS NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE: VOL. VIII, THE AMERICAN NOTEBOOKS (The Centenary Edition of the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne ; V. 8) [Hardcover]

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Centenary Edition of the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne ; V. 8 | Publication Date: December 1, 1991

Contains selections from Hawthorne's journals from 1835 to 1853, shortly before his departure for England, as well as some extracts from his letters within the same period. This title also contains many initial ideas which were to become stories and parts of romances, as well as meticulous observations of people and nature.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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About the Author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. After graduating from university in 1825, he returned to Salem determined to become a writer and worked on short stories and historical sketches. In 1828 he published the novel Fanshawe at his own expense; it was a failure but led to a productive relationship with publisher Samuel Goodrich. He returned to writing short fiction, then worked for Goodrich as hack writer and editor. Hawthorne became a surveyor of the Boston Custom House in 1839, then left in 1841 to invest in a communal experiment, when he also married. Disappointed in communal life, he moved to Concord, Massachusetts and returned to serious writing in 1846 with Mosses from an Old Manse. After a further three years as a customs surveyor, he finally produced his first significant novel and masterwork, The Scarlet Letter, in 1850, followed by two more major novels and some of his best short stories. In 1853 a college friend became President and Hawthorne was appointed US consul at Liverpool, living in England and Italy for six years. He published a further novel and some essays on England on his return; four unfinished novels and passages from his notebooks were published on his death in 1864. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 852 pages
• Publisher: Ohio State University Press; 1 edition (December 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814201598
• ISBN-13: 978-0814201596
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,207,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Notebooks of the Dark Soul of American Literature, October 26, 2006

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Michael D. Jones "Reader" (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: CENTENARY ED WORKS NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE: VOL. VIII, THE AMERICAN NOTEBOOKS (The Centenary Edition of the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne ; V. 8) (Hardcover)

Reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's Notebooks is a very different experience than reading those of Henry James, Steinbeck, Thomas Mann (Diaries), Robert Musil or even those published by Reynolds Price. The self mannered awareness that the future will prize their "private" thoughts and ideas is absent. These were truly private workbooks. Hawthorne writes in full voice as someone for whom communication is vital and difficult. Open this work anywhere and read what sounds like the inner voice of someone practiced at concealing his thoughts publicly. Expansive, suggestive, and illuminating for all those who would like to know more of the deep thought and artfullness that went into his major works. Some of his working ideas for stories sound absolutely modern. One story idea develops the possibility of having two men talking and discussing their difficulties while waiting and waiting for someone who never comes. They don't know what to do, so they continue to wait and discussing the one who never comes. Sound familar? A little like "Waiting for Godot"? If you love great literature and if you love Hawthorne, then dig deep and buy this expensive but magnificent book.