The Scarlet Letter is set in 17^th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, during the years 1642 to 1649. It tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.

The Scarlet Letter is a work of fiction in a historical setting, and is considered to be Hawthorne's best work. Hawthorne describes a space between materialism and "dreaminess" that he calls "a neutral territory, somewhere between the real world and fairy-land, where the Actual and the Imaginary may meet, and each imbues itself with nature of the other." This combination of "dreaminess" and realism gave Hawthorne space to explore major themes.

This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket.