Nathaniel Hawthorne exhibit opening at Milner

Milner Library’s Special Collections will feature an exhibit of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works beginning Feb. 1. The exhibit highlights 14 titles by Hawthorne and his contemporaries, including first editions and modern fine-press editions, and will run until April 15.

Born in 1804, Hawthorne spent his childhood in Salem, Mass., and Raymond, Maine, settings which strongly influenced his writing in his adult years. He attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he became acquainted with future President Franklin Pierce and future poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Hawthorne also enjoyed assignments as a traveler and statesman.

While his novels The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables are household names, he was also a dedicated writer of short stories and nonfiction. The exhibit introduces viewers to his lesser-known children’s books and short stories in addition to his significant works. Hawthorne is regarded widely as one of America’s greatest novelists.

Special Collections at Milner Library encompasses four major collections: the Circus and Allied Arts collection, the Historical Textbook and Children’s Literature collection, the Harold K. Sage Lincoln collection, and the Rare and Fine collection, from which the Hawthorne exhibit is drawn.  

Special Collections is on the sixth floor and is open from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Parking is available for an hourly fee at the Bone Student Center.