March 16: Publication of The Scarlet Letter

On this date in 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne published his masterwork, The Scarlet Letter.

The Scarlet Letter Banner

Use this banner on social media to share our free audiobook of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

Listen on Lit2Go

Listen to The Scarlet Letter on Lit2Go. A PDF is available for each chapter so you can read along if you wish. Audio duration: 9 hours.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Portrait of Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) from the ClipArt ETC website.

1607-1762 Colonial America

This gallery of illustrations contains many examples of Puritan clothing and customs mentioned in The Scarlet letter. Images from the ClipArt ETC website.

Governor John Winthrop

John Winthrop (12 January 1588 – 26 March 1649) was governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company during much of the time in which Hawthorne’s novel is set. Between 1639 and 1648 he was voted out of governorship and re-elected a total of 12 times. Image from ClipArt ETC.

John Eliot

John Eliot (c. 1604 – 21 May 1690) was a Puritan missionary born in Widford, Hertfordshire, England. He is referred to as “the Apostle Eliot” at the beginning of Chapter 16, A Forest Walk, whom Dimmesdale has gone to visit. Image from the ClipArt ETC website.

Photos of Massachusetts

Over one thousand photos of Massachusetts—primarily Boston—from the ClipPix ETC website.

English Settlements around Massachusetts Bay, 1620–1652

Map of English settlements around Massachusetts Bay. This is one of many selections from the Massachusetts maps gallery of the Maps ETC website.