Nathaniel Hawthorne is described as the Shakespeare of American Literature. His novels and stories are mostly set in Puritan New England and are often dark, exposing the psychological complexity and evil within humanity. His literature contains layers of allegory which deepen and enrich the stories. This book contains three novel and three collections of Hawthorne's short stories. The novels are: The Scarlet Letter features the first heroine in American literature, a woman shunned for adultery who draws on her inner strength and resolve, unlike her male counterpoint who is divided and trapped by society. The House of the Seven Gables is a romance, but not very romantic, a study of the residents of the house who are pitifully poor and their endeavours to survive. It is one of Hawthorne's few books with a happy ending. The Blithedale Romance features three people caught in a love triangle: Hollingsworth, the Puritan, Zenobia, the suffragist and Priscilla, distant and aloof. A novel of depth and beauty and intrigue.