Grandfather's Chair - A History for Youth

This little treasure is an 1841 edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Grandfather’s Chair. In it, four children crowd around their grandfather’s chair as he tells them about American history, and the Puritan settlers and their descendants who supposedly owned the chair. This narrative technique is a prime example of Hawthorne’s idea of what he termed “imaginative authority”: the use of invented elements (such as the chair) to interest children in history lessons.

Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Hawthorne (1804-1864) is one of America's greatest writers. His classic novels include The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. He also wrote short stories and non-fiction. 

Book is hand dated 1940, by a Jacob S. Dapp of New Jersey. While the binding is not loose, some pages have pulled away, but not seriously. Cover is a bit worn, but in good shape.