Author of The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) wrote the stories that lie at the heart of the American Romantic movement. His novels' portraits of colonial life reflect his Puritan heritage, and his short story collections, A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys and its successor, Tanglewood Tales, consist of adaptations of Greek myths. American artist and illustrator Virginia Frances Sterrett (1900-31) began her tragically brief career at the age of 19, shortly after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. She also illustrated Old French Fairy Tales and Arabian Nights.