A selection of Hawthornes most important tales, which begins with "The Gentle Boy" and concludes with "Ethan Brand". Rich in allegory and imaginative symbolism, the tales illustrate the development of Hawthornes preoccupations with the themes of guilt and secrecy, intellectual and moral pride, with the aesthetic representation of the supernatural, and with the decadence of New England Puritanism. This edition also consists of Introduction, Notes on the Text, Select Bibliography, A Chronology of the Author and Explanatory Notes.