Although Nathaniel Hawthorne called himself "the obscurest man in American letters," his achievements in fiction, both as short-story writer and novelist, offer models fashioned too well for contemporary and later writers to ignore. Even though fame was...

When Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on our most patriotic holiday in 1804, his ancestral roots were already deeply planted in New England. Writing in The Scarlet Letter (1850) of his sentimental affection for the town of his birth,...

In sketches, tales, and romances published in the second third of the nineteenth century, Nathaniel Hawthorne chose mainly American materials, drawing especially on the history of colonial New England and his native Salem in the time of his early America...

Did You Know? A male bullfrog uses his voice to attract mates and to warn other males to stay out of his territory. If another male moves into his territory, the first bullfrog will attack the challenger. The two will poke and gouge...

Byline: Lois Degler Taking care of our backyard swimming pool had become my responsibility. A new job for me. Not a difficult job, but it wasn't something I was used to. On a daily pool check in the spring I looked...