"The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, with 32 plates by Hugh Thomson, published by Abaris Books, New York, 1979. Reproduction of the first edition with Thomson illustrations and ads which were present in first printing of Scarlet Letter, March 1850.

Dust jacket is in fair condition [multiple creases and damages]; hard boards, red cloth with gold lettering on spine; 6.1/4" x 9.1/4"; color frontispiece + vi + 296 pages + 32 monochrome plates + Tichnor & Reedads ads of March 1850; a little soiling, very good condition.

Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) was an Irish Illustrator. He is best known for his pen-and-ink illustrations of works by authors such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and J. M. Barrie. Thomson inaugurated the Cranford School of illustration with the publication of the 1891 Macmillan reissue of Mrs. Gaskell's Cranford.

Thomson gained praise and influenced many young artists through his book illustrations. His illustrations for Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford (1891) inspired a slew of publishers to produce a series of gift books in a similar style. In total, Thomson illustrated sixty-five books and contributed a large number of illustrations to magazines and other periodicals.

His works were featured in a number of exhibitions during his lifetime, including an 1899 exhibit at the Birmingham and Midland Institute and a 1910 exhibit of his watercolor drawings for Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor at The Leicester Galleries in London. His illustrations were also featured in an 1891 exhibit with fellow illustrator Kate Greenaway at the Fine Art Society.

US: Priority (c 2-4 days) ------------- $12.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-6 weeks) ------- $32.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) -------- $48.50