From 1850 to 1853, Hawthorne was at his most creative, writing The House of the Seven Gables and The Blithedale Romance, as well as A Wonder Book (1852) and Tanglewood Tales (1853). (1853). His novel Moods Marvellous! And Other Stories for Children was published in London that year. It included such stories as "The Birthmark," which some critics believe is America's first detective story. In 1854, he returned to New England with his family, hoping that a change of climate would help his sick wife. She died the next year, and he began to show signs of mental illness that would plague him for the rest of his life. In 1857, he went back to Massachusetts without finishing his novel, which was later completed by another writer. Hawthorne is best known for his short stories, especially "The Scarlet Letter", which has been called one of the best novels about marriage ever written. This famous work was followed by others including "Young Goodman Brown" and "Feathertop". During his lifetime, Hawthorne became one of America's first popular authors, with many readers enjoying his dark tales set in Puritan Boston or New England villages before the American Revolution. His works were also praised for their realism and sophistication.