Selections From Twice Told Tales

Selections from Twice Told Tales is one of various edited editions of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s first major short story collection, originally published in 1837 and significantly expanded in 1842. The Twice Told Tales collection itself contains many of Hawthorne’s most famous shorter pieces, and selected editions like this one provide accessible introductions to the wider collection without committing to the full text.

The original Twice Told Tales collection includes The Minister’s Black Veil, the haunting moral allegory about a New England parson who begins wearing a black veil over his face. Wakefield, the strange story about a man who walks out of his ordinary life and lives in secret near his own home for twenty years. The Maypole of Merry Mount, the historical tale about the early Puritan suppression of an alternative religious community. The Gray Champion, the patriotic story about a mysterious figure who appears at moments of New England crisis. Endicott and the Red Cross, the historical sketch about the early Massachusetts Bay Colony. And many other major pieces.

A selected edition like this one would typically include a curated set of the most famous and most accessible of the original Twice Told Tales pieces, with the editor’s selection reflecting the wider critical sense of which Hawthorne shorter pieces best represent his achievement. Selected editions have been particularly popular for educational use, where teachers want to introduce students to Hawthorne’s shorter work without committing to the full collection.

For readers new to Hawthorne, a Selections from Twice Told Tales edition is an excellent starting point. For longtime Hawthorne readers, the original full Twice Told Tales collection is the natural progression. For students of nineteenth century American literature, the foundational role of Twice Told Tales in establishing Hawthorne’s reputation makes the collection essential.