New Releases by Herman Melville

In "The Complete Works of Herman Melville," readers are presented with a comprehensive anthology that encapsulates the rich diversity of the author''Äôs literary contributions, ranging from the iconic novel "Moby-Dick" to his lesser-known short stories and poetry. Melville''Äôs intricate narrative style, characterized by a fusion of realism and romanticism, delves into profound themes such as existentialism, humanity''Äôs relationship with nature, and the critique of societal norms, all couched in symbolic and often allegorical frameworks. This compilation serves not only as a testament to Melville''s literary prowess but also offers insight into the tumultuous socio-political landscape of 19th-century America that influenced his storytelling. Herman Melville, born in 1819, was a seminal figure in American literature whose experiences as a sailor, as well as his encounters with various cultures, deeply informed his narratives. His works often reflect a struggle with philosophical and theological questions, stemming from both personal and societal dilemmas, which ultimately led him to explore the complexities of the human condition through a nuanced lens. Melville''Äôs unique voice and the evolution of his writing also mirrored the changing American identity during his lifetime. This comprehensive collection is essential for any scholar or reader seeking to immerse themselves in the multifaceted world of Melville. It not only charts the evolution of an author whose works were often overlooked in his time but also invites modern readers to engage with the timeless themes that resonate with contemporary issues. Melville''Äôs brilliance and ambition make this compilation a significant addition to both individual libraries and academic studies.

This illustrated edition of "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale" includes: Illustrations of objects and places mentioned in the novel. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael''s narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship''s previous voyage bit off Ahab''s leg at the knee.

One of the greatest books ever written. A splendid masterpiece. Moby Dick is generally regarded as Melville''s magnum opus and one of the greatest American novels. Moby Dick famously begins with the narratorial invocation "Call me Ishmael." The narrator, like his biblical counterpart, is an outcast. Ishmael, who turns to the sea for meaning, relays to the audience the final voyage of the Pequod, a whaling vessel. Amid a story of tribulation, beauty, and madness, the reader is introduced to a number of characters, many of whom have names with religious resonance. The ship''s captain is Ahab, who Ishmael and his friend Queequeg soon learn is losing his mind. Starbuck, Ahab''s first-mate, recognizes this problem too, and is the only one throughout the novel to voice his disapproval of Ahab''s increasingly obsessive behavior. This nature of Ahab''s obsession is first revealed to Ishmael and Queequeg after the Pequod''s owners, Peleg and Bildad, explain to them that Ahab is still recovering from an encounter with a large whale that resulted in the loss of his leg. That whale''s name is Moby Dick. The Pequod sets sail, and the crew is soon informed that this journey will be unlike their other whaling missions: this time, despite the reluctance of Starbuck, Ahab intends to hunt and kill the beastly Moby Dick no matter the cost.

Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life is the first book by American writer Herman Melville, published first in London, then New York, in 1846. Considered a classic in travel and adventure literature, the narrative is partly based on the author''s actual experiences on the island Nuku Hiva in the South Pacific Marquesas Islands in 1842, liberally supplemented with imaginative reconstruction and adaptation of material from other books. The title is from the province Tai Pi Vai. Typee was Melville''s most popular work during his lifetime; it made him notorious as the "man who lived among the cannibals"

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael''s narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship''s previous voyage bit off Ahab''s leg at the knee. A contribution to the literature of the American Renaissance, Moby-Dick was published to mixed reviews, was a commercial failure, and was out of print at the time of the author''s death in 1891. Its reputation as a "Great American Novel" was established only in the 20th century, after the centennial of its author''s birth. William Faulkner said he wished he had written the book himself, [1] and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world" and "the greatest book of the sea ever written".[2] Its opening sentence, "Call me Ishmael", is among world literature''s most famous. Melville began writing Moby-Dick in February 1850, and finished 18 months later, a year longer than he had anticipated. Melville drew on his experience as a common sailor from 1841 to 1844, including several years on whalers, and on wide reading in whaling literature. The white whale is modeled on the notoriously hard-to-catch albino whale Mocha Dick, and the book''s ending is based on the sinking of the whaleship Essex in 1820. His literary influences include Shakespeare and the Bible. The detailed and realistic descriptions of whale hunting and of extracting whale oil, as well as life aboard ship among a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God. In addition to narrative prose, Melville uses styles and literary devices ranging from songs, poetry, and catalogs to Shakespearean stage directions, soliloquies, and asides. In August 1850, with the manuscript perhaps half finished, he met Nathaniel Hawthorne and was deeply moved by his Mosses from an Old Manse, which he compared to Shakespeare in its cosmic ambitions. This encounter may have inspired him to revise and expand Moby-Dick, which is dedicated to Hawthorne, "in token of my admiration for his genius".

Moby-Dick is an 1851 novel by Herman Melville. The story tells the adventures of the wandering sailor Ishmael and his voyage on the whaling ship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Ishmael soon learns that Ahab seeks one specific whale, Moby-Dick, a white whale of tremendous size and ferocity. Comparatively few whaling ships know of Moby-Dick, and fewer yet have encountered him. In a previous encounter, the whale destroyed Ahab''s boat and bit off his leg. Ahab intends to exact revenge.

Melville''s verse printed for the most part privately in small editions from middle life onward after his great prose work had been written, taken as a whole, is of an amateurish and uneven quality. In it, however, that loveable freshness of personality, which his philosophical dejection never quenched, is everywhere in evidence. It is clear that he did not set himself to master the poet''s art, yet through the mask of conventional verse which often falls into doggerel, the voice of a true poet is heard.

MOBY-DICKMoby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by the American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851 during the American Renaissance. Sailor Ishmael tells the story of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge for Moby Dick, the white whale who, during the previous whaling trip, bit Ahab''s leg at the knee. The novel was a commercial failure and exhausted at the time of the author''s death in 1891, but during the 20th century, his reputation as a great American novel was established. William Faulkner confessed that he would have liked to write it himself, and DH Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world", and "the greatest book of the sea ever" written". "Call me Ishmael" is among the most famous opening phrases of world literature.The result of a year and a half of writing, the book draws on Melville''s experience at sea, his reading of whale literature and literary inspirations such as Shakespeare and the Bible. The white whale is modeled on the famous albino whale Mocha Dick, whose end is based on the sinking of the whale whale Essex. Detailed and realistic descriptions of whaling and whale oil extraction, as well as life on board a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with the exploration of social and class status, good and evil and the existence of God. In addition to narrative prose, Melville uses literary styles and devices ranging from songs, poetry, and catalogs to Shakespeare''s scenic directions, soliloquies, and sides.Dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne, "as a sign of my admiration for his genius," the work was first published under the title The Whale in London in October 1851, and under its definitive title in New York in November. Hundreds of differences, mostly light and some important, are observed between the two editions. The London publisher has censored or changed sensitive passages and Melville has made revisions, including the last-minute change of title for the New York edition. The whale, however, appears in both editions as "Moby Dick", without a hyphen.HERMAN MELVILLEHerman Melville (August 1, 1819 - September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, a news writer, and a poet of the American Renaissance period. His best-known works include Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work has been almost forgotten in his last 30 years. His writing is based on his experience at sea as a common sailor, the exploration of literature and philosophy, and the engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. He developed a complex Baroque style; the vocabulary is rich and original, a strong sense of rhythm permeates the elaborate sentences, the imagery is often mystical or ironic, and the abundance of allusions extends to biblical writing, to myth, to philosophy, to literature and the visual arts.Melville was born in New York, the third child of a dry French merchant. His formal education ended abruptly after his father''s death in 1832, leaving the family in a difficult financial situation. He briefly became a teacher before sinking in 1839 as a seaman on a merchant ship. In 1840, he signed aboard the whaler Acushnet on his first whaling trip, but jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands. He returned to Boston in 1844 after other adventures.His first book was Typee (1846), a highly romanticized account of his life among the Polynesians. He became such a bestseller that he wrote the Omoo Suite (1847). These successes encouraged her to marry Elizabeth Shaw, daughter of a prominent Boston family, but success was hard to maintain. His first novel that was not based on his own experiences was Tuesday (1849), a tale of the sea that develops into a philosophical allegory - but it was not well received.

Featured title on PBS''s The Great American Read in 2018 Ignoring prophecies of doom, the seafarer Ishmael joins the crew of a whaling expedition that is an obsession for the ship''s captain, Ahab. Once maimed by the White Whale, Moby Dick, Ahab has set out on a voyage of revenge. With godlike ferocity, he surges into dangerous waters--immune to the madness of his vision, refusing to be bested by the forces of nature. An exhilarating whaling yarn, an apocalyptic theodicy, a tragic confessional, and a profound allegory, Moby Dick encompasses all that it means to be human--from the physical and metaphysical to the spiritual and emotional. Full of strange wisdom and wild digressive energy, it''s a singular literary performance universally regarded as one of the great American novels. Revised edition: Previously published as Moby Dick, this edition of Moby Dick (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.

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Herman Melville''s "Israel Potter" is the Fictionalised tale of a man who really did fight in the American Revolution -- a man who lived a life of very real adventure. After fighting in the revolution, he went on to be a part of the newly-established United States Navy, ended up serving as a secret courier for Benjamin Franklin Bits of this are fiction, and may be even more spectacular. Herman Melville[a] (August 1, 1819 - September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period best known for Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work was almost forgotten during his last thirty years. His writing draws on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. He developed a complex, baroque style: the vocabulary is rich and original, a strong sense of rhythm infuses the elaborate sentences, the imagery is often mystical or ironic, and the abundance of allusion extends to Scripture, myth, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts. Born in New York City as the third child of a merchant in French dry goods, Melville''s formal education ended abruptly after his father died in 1832, leaving the family in financial straits. Melville briefly became a schoolteacher before he took to sea in 1839 as a common sailor on a merchant ship. In 1840 he signed aboard the whaler Acushnet for his first whaling voyage, but jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands. After further adventures, he returned to Boston in 1844. His first book, Typee (1845), a highly romanticized account of his life among Polynesians, became such a best-seller that he worked up a sequel, Omoo (1847). These successes encouraged him to marry Elizabeth Shaw, of a prominent Boston family, but were hard to sustain. His first novel not based on his own experiences, Mardi (1849)

Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 - September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet from the American Renaissance period. Most of his writings were published between 1846 and 1857. Best known for his sea adventure Typee (1846) and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851), he was almost forgotten during the last thirty years of his life. Melville''s writing draws on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. The main characteristic of his style is probably pervasive allusion, reflecting his written sources. Melville''s way of adapting what he read for his own new purposes, scholar Stanley T. Williams wrote, "was a transforming power comparable to Shakespeare''s".

Call me Ishmael. So begins the famous opening chapter of Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. Young sailor Ishmael is hired as a crew member of a whaler named Pequod, captained by a man named Ahab. In between lengthy chapters on whale biology and descriptions of the crew and the whaling trade, readers are slowly introduced to a captivating tale. Ahab is out for revenge on the great white whale that stole his leg, leaving him with a whale-bone prosthesis and a withering hatred for the beast. Known as Moby Dick, the whale is infamous for his encounters and escapes with whale ships, and Ahab offers a gold coin, nailed to the Pequod''s mast, as a reward for whoever sights him first. Beginning on a cold Christmas morning, the crew embarks on a journey to find the whale and make their fortunes. An exciting staple of American literature, Moby-Dick is a must-read for anyone interested in the classics. Herman Melville was inspired to write Moby Dick by the 1821 biographical account Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex (Cosimo Classics, 2015), which in turn inspired the 2000 novel and 2015 movie, In the Heart of the Sea. HERMAN MELVILLE (1819-1891) was an American novelist. Born in New York, Melville lived and worked in the city for many years before moving with his family to Massachusetts, where he enjoyed a short friendship with author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Many of Melville''s books are inspired by his own experiences; he sailed on merchant and whaling ships, spent time on the Marquesas Islands with natives, and spent time in England, Egypt, and Palestine. Melville even wrote poetry reflecting on the American Civil War. He eventually retired in New York City, where he was buried in the Bronx, relatively unknown. Melville was the author of 19 books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including *Typee* (1846), Moby-Dick (1851), "Bartelby the Scrivener" (1853), "Benito Cerino" (1855), Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War (1866), and Billy Budd, Sailor (1891, unfinished).

This premium quality large print edition contains the complete and unabridged original classic version of Moby Dick, printed on heavyweight, bright white paper in a large 7.44"x9.69" format, with a fully laminated full-color cover featuring an original design. Also included is an original introductory essay discussing the life and work of Herman Melville and the history and significance of Moby Dick, providing the modern reader with useful background information to enhance the enjoyment of this classic novel. Herman Melville is known today primarily for his iconic whaling novel, Moby Dick (1851), the story of the struggle between Captain Ahab and "the great white whale," which appears on many lists of "greatest books ever written" and is considered an essential part of the Western Canon. Ironically, when the novel was published it was a monumental flop and signaled the end of Melvilles''s career as a novelist. One theory is that the omission of the epilogue from the first printing left the book open to ridicule as a first-person narrative in which the narrator did not survive to tell the tale. He published several more novels, all without success, and in 1866 he became a New York customs inspector, all but forgotten for the next fifty years. It was not until the rise of the modernist movement that Moby Dick was recognized as a great literary classic. What once were regarded as serious flaws came to be viewed as literary innovations. Moby Dick went from being criticized as undisciplined and poorly crafted to being hailed as "ahead of its time" and "visionary." For the modern reader, the complex analytical theories behind Moby Dick may get in the way of enjoying the novel for its own sake. Taking Moby Dick at face value, it is an interesting tale, rich with diverse characters and evocative themes like friendship, class and social status, good and evil, isolation and community, the existence of God, obsession and human perception. A vivid depiction of life aboard ship in the nineteenth century it is perhaps the most detailed and accessible existing picture of what was, for a time, the richest industry in the United States. If at times the text seems stilted or antiquated, as might be expected from any work from this era, it is equally true that at times the text attains a soaring, almost lyric tone. The most casual reader cannot fail to appreciate the unforgettable characters, compelling storyline and vivid depictions of whales, whalers and whaling, and the obsession-driven quest after the great white whale upon which Ahab leads, and the crew follows, to their doom. And this, without anything more, makes Moby Dick essential reading. Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an author of the American Renaissance, or Romantic, period. Born in New York City, he was the third child of a successful merchant. He worked as a schoolteacher before going to sea for the first time in 1839. Serving on a whaler in 1842, he jumped ship and spent a month living among South Pacific islanders. His first novel, "Typee" (1846), a bestseller, was based in part on his experiences in the South Pacific as was the successful sequel, "Omoo" (1847). The same year Melville, now a successful novelist, married Elizabeth Knapp Shaw. They would have four children between 1849 and 1855. "Mardi" and "Redburn", both published in 1849, met with limited success. "Mardi" in particular was criticized as so thematically dense as to be incomprehensible. "White-Jacket" (1850), based on Melville''s brief service in the U.S. Navy, was his most influential work during his lifetime, with graphic descriptions of flogging that led directly to banning the practice on naval vessels. Moby Dick and several additional failed novels and poetry collections followed. Melville sank into obscurity and died in 1891, about 20 years before Moby Dick was recognized as a literary classic.

Typee is American writer Herman Melville''s first book, a classic in the literature of travel and adventure partly based on his actual experiences as a captive on the island Nuku Hiva (which Melville spelled as Nukuheva) in the South Pacific Marquesas Islands, in 1842. The title comes from the name of a valley there called Tai Pi Vai. It was Melville''s most popular work during his lifetime, but made him notorious as the "man who lived among the cannibals." For 19th century readers, his career seemed to decline afterward, but during the early 20th century it was seen as the beginning of a career that peaked with Moby-Dick (1851).

Join young Ishmail as he sails with Captain Ahab in pursuit of that huge white sperm whale, Moby Dick. In a previous encounter, the white giant bit off Ahab''s leg and the wooden-legged Captain has sought his revenge ever since. The story''s rousing conclusion tells the tale of the final reckoning between Ahab and his obsession.

Typee is American writer Herman Melville''s first book, partly based on his actual experiences as a captive on Nuku Hiva in the South Pacific Marquesas Islands and the title comes from a valley there called Tai Pi Vai. It was Melville''s most popular work during his lifetime. In Typee the hero and his shipmate, Toby, stumble into the cannibal kingdom. When the friendly Typees force the pair to stay, they must decide whether to remain in luxury with their captors or escape to American civilization.

"What has cast such a shadow upon you?" "The Negro." With its intense mix of mystery, adventure, and a surprise ending, Benito Cereno at first seems merely a provocative example from the genre Herman Melville created with his early best-selling novels of the sea. However, most Melville scholars consider it his most sophisticated work, and many, such as novelist Ralph Ellison, have hailed it as the most piercing look at slavery in all of American literature. Based on a real life incident—the character names remain unchanged—Benito Cereno tells what happens when an American merchant ship comes upon a mysterious Spanish ship where the nearly all-black crew and their white captain are starving and yet hostile to offers of help. Melville''s most focused political work, it is rife with allusions (a ship named after Santo Domingo, site of the slave revolt led by Toussaint L''Ouverture), analogies (does the good-hearted yet obtuse American captain refer to the American character itself?), and mirroring images that deepen our reflections on human oppression and its resultant depravities. It is, in short, a multi-layered masterpiece that rewards repeated readings, and deepens our appreciation of Melville''s genius. The Art of The Novella Series Too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story, the novella is generally unrecognized by academics and publishers. Nonetheless, it is a form beloved and practiced by literature''s greatest writers. In the Art Of The Novella series, Melville House celebrates this renegade art form and its practitioners with titles that are, in many instances, presented in book form for the first time.

A facsimile edition of Melville''s rare volume including the author''s proofreading corrections Late in his life, Herman Melville published a volume of poetry called John Marr and Other Sailors. He produced the collection at his expense, and therefore only about 25 copies were printed. Existing copies can be found in libraries, but scholars have, for the most part, not seen them. John Marr and Other Sailors is a complete facsimile reprint of the original edition as Melville published it that also offers additional materials that allow readers to study the book as Melville conceived it. Robillard provides excerpts from the author''s manuscript, printer''s copy with corrections, the galley proofs with Melville''s instructions about the structure of the book, and the page proofs, thereby offering a complete record of one of his books from manuscript to print. Many scholars have been dismissive of Melville''s poetry and his writing during the last years of his life. But Melville was a hard-working, professional writer during his later years, writing new poems and changing and correcting older poems. As evident in this edition, he was distilling the hard-earned knowledge of many years and the poetic skills he had been perfecting. For this reason, John Marr is as important as any of his prose fictions. Melville scholars and textual editors will appreciate this addition to the study of this great American literary figure and his work.

A facsimile edition of the 1866 publication containing seventy-two poems on major campaigns, battles, and events of the Civil War, representing the author''s first foray into the world of poetry.

Melville''s long poem Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land (1876) was the last full-length book he published. Until the mid-twentieth century even the most partisan of Melville''s advocates hesitated to endure a four-part poem of 150 cantos of almost 18,000 lines, about a naïve American named Clarel, on pilgrimage through the Palestinian ruins with a provocative cluster of companions. But modern critics have found Clarel a much better poem than was ever realized. Robert Penn Warren called it a precursor of The Waste Land. It abounds with revelations of Melville''s inner life. Most strikingly, it is argued that the character Vine is a portrait of Melville''s friend Hawthorne. Based on the only edition published during Melville''s lifetime, this scholarly edition adopts thirty-nine corrections from a copy marked by Melville and incorporates 154 emendations by the present editors, an also includes a section of related documents and extensive discussions. This scholarly edition is an Approved Text of the Center for Editions of American Authors (Modern Language Association of America).

Featured in this rich collection are "Billy Budd," Melville''s posthumously published novella; a chapter from Melville''s masterpiece, "Moby-Dick;" and the short stories The Piazza, The Bell-Tower, and Bartleby, along with a new Introduction. Revised reissue.

Included in this Herman Melville collection are six tales that range considerably -- from "The Encantadas" (an allegorical travelogue) to the haunting "Bartleby, the Scrivener." Opening the volume is "The Piazza," a pastoral sketch that frames the collection. "Benito Cerenno" -- a subversive satire -- of grows out of a true story of mutiny among the enslaved . . .

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale in an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael''s narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship''s previous voyage bit off Ahab''s leg at the knee. A contribution to the literature of the American Renaissance, Moby-Dick was published to mixed reviews, was a commercial failure, and was out of print at the time of the author''s death in 1891. Its reputation as a "Great American Novel" was established only in the 20th century, after the centennial of its author''s birth. William Faulkner said he wished he had written the book himself, and D.H Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world" and "the greatest book of the sea ever written". Its opening sentence, "Call me Ishmael", is among world literature''s most famous. Melville began writing Moby-Dick in February 1850, and finished 18 months later, a year longer than he had anticipated. Melville drew on his experience as a common sailor from 1841 to 1844, including several years on whalers, and on wide reading in whaling literature. The white whale is modeled on the notoriously hard-to-catch albino whale Mocha Dick, and the book''s ending is based on the sinking of the whaleship Essex in 1820.his literary influences include Shakespeare and the Bible. The detailed and realistic descriptions of whale hunting and of extracting whale oil, as well as life aboard ship among a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God. In addition to narrative prose, Melville uses styles and literary devices ranging from songs, poetry, and catalogs to Shakespearean stage directions, soliloquies, and asides. In August 1850, with the manuscript perhaps half-finished, he met Nathaniel Hawthorne and was deeply moved by his Mosses from an Old Manse, which he compared to Shakespeare in its cosmic ambitions. This encounter may have inspired him to revise and expand Moby-Dick, which is dedicated to Hawthorne, "in token of my admiration for his genius".The book was first published (in three volumes) as The Whale in London in October 1851, and under its definitive title in a single-volume edition in New York in November. The London publisher, Richard Bentley, censored or changed sensitive passages; Melville made revisions as well, including a last-minute change to the title for the New York edition. The whale, however, appears in the text of both editions as "Moby Dick", without the hyphen. Format : 6 x 9 in. 135 Chapters + Epilogue 467 pages Quality cream paper Designer Matt Cover Printed in the USA for USA orders