How it was written

Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter in Salem, the town where his family had lived for generations.

1. 
   1692

   A family shadow

   His ancestor John Hathorne was one of the judges at the Salem witch trials.

2. 
   1846

   The Custom House

   Hawthorne was made Surveyor of the port of Salem. He describes the job in his opening essay, The Custom-House.

3. 
   1850

   Writing in Salem

   He finished it in February 1850, in a house on Mall Street in Salem that still stands.

4. 
   1850

   Published

   Ticknor and Fields published it in spring 1850.

5. 
   1850

   Sold out

   The first 2,500 copies sold out within ten days.

Read more

• The Scarlet LetterWikipedia

Sources: 1, 2