Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was a novelist and short story writer. Best known for The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of the Seven Gables (1851), The Blithedale Romance (1852), and The Marble Faun (1860), as well as the political biography of his friend Life of Franklin Pierce (1852), his first writings were short stories published in a number of magazines and annuals. In the 1830s, he served as the editor of the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge, and then accepted a political appointment at the Boston Custom House. Twice-Told Tales was sponsored by Hawthorne's friend, Horation Bridge (a lawyer at the time, he later joined the Navy and rose to the rank of commodore). It sold moderately well when it was published, and then saw a resurgence after the publication of The Scarlet Letter.