Even during his lifetime, Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), the prominent New England novelist and short story writer, was renowned for his grim, Puritan-inspired moral allegories. Not one to indulge in frippery, Hawthorne’s work was focused on moral purity and godliness. The author, however, was as well known for his writing as he was for his reclusive personality, and was considered by his contemporaries to be painfully shy.

The letter in this collection may come as a bit of a shock to those who believe they are familiar with Hawthorne’s personality, as it illuminates an obscure and far less-well documented part of the author’s character: that of a polite and thoughtful gentleman.

Addressed to Charles Edward Stowe’s family, Hawthorne’s letter praises a member of the Stowe family for her thoughtfulness and the allegorical interpretation of one of his stories. Little is known about Stowe, the youngest son of the authoress Harriet Beecher Stowe; however, based on this collection, it appears that his family was quite interested in literature, in general, and Hawthorne’s work, in particular. Although the Library does not hold any more archival material created by Hawthorne, many circulating non-circulating titles associated with Hawthorne’s work are available. In addition to biographical works, the Library contains numerous titles relating to the author’s primary social and moral subject (Puritanism). Should one be interested in reading more about the place and time in which Hawthorne worked and lived, copies of the newspaper The Salem Gazette are available in the Library.