Throughout his richly varied literary career, Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) wrote compelling short stories of enduring appeal. His first important publication, long before The Scarlet Letter, was the 1837 collection Twice-Told Tales, which brought the New England writer immediate fame and high praise from no less an authority than Edgar Allan Poe. Another compilation, Mosses from an Old Manse, followed in 1846 and achieved further success.

This volume contains six stories from those collections as well as another superb selection, ''My Kinsman, Major Molineux.'' In addition to the latter tale and the title story, this edition includes ''Dr. Heidegger's Experiment,'' ''The Birthmark,'' ''Rappaccini's Daughter,'' ''Roger Malvin's Burial'' and ''The Artist of the Beautiful.'' Here are tales rich in atmosphere and suspense, with plots centering on subjects as diverse as witchcraft, revenge, the power of guilt, and a passion for the beautiful, all recounted in the distinctive voice of one of America's great writers.