Rich in allegory and symbolism, and suffused with darkness and tragedy, satire and touching humour, these tales, written by a master of the short-story genre, delve into the conflict between good and evil, explore the concept of Original Sin and repeatedly invite the reader to make their own judgements concerning what they can and cannot trust. Described by Herman Melville as being "as deep as Dante", `Young Goodman Brown' is set during the Salem witch trials and features the sort of narrative ambiguities and troubling uncertainties over the reality of events that Hawthorne was known for, and which resurface in `Rappaccini's Daughter' - also included in this volume - leading the readers to ponder what they have read long after the last page has been turned.

Inspired by the Puritan past of his native New England, Nathaniel Hawthorne became a pivotal figure in the history of American literature, notably with his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter.