Loose the latchstring and peer into the places where Nathaniel Hawthorne passed back and forth from nineteenth century New England to the fertile country of his imagination. The historic images in this pictorial biography—many by famed Salem photographer Frank Cousins—might not inspire readers to the same literary genius as the celebrated author, but the "dim and dusky grandeur" lingering in his favorite haunts will no doubt enlighten as to the provocation of his pen. From Salem to Bowdoin College, and through Lenox and Concord, Salemite John Hardy Wright trails the famous author to his "old accustomed chambers" and reveals the inspiration behind an American literary legend.