Books by Herman Melville

Herman Melville's absurdist classic is printed anew in this presentable hardcover edition.First published in 1853, Bartleby, the Scrivener has been lauded as a superb - even perfect - example of short form fiction. In the years since its original publication, the text has received analysis in numerous essays and is commonly studied in school classrooms and university lectures. Variously interpreted as a dark office comedy or as an autobiography by the increasingly iconoclastic Melville, the story concerns the titular Bartleby, a 'scrivener' or clerk hired by the narrator who is a prosperous lawyer based in Manhattan. Despite starting very well, the quiet Bartleby begins to refuse to do tasks, and gradually his workload tapers to zero. Each refusal is paired with Bartleby's catchphrase: ""I would prefer not to.""

Moby-Dick; oder: Der Wal (englisch Moby-Dick; or, The Whale), in vielen deutschen Ausgaben auch ohne Bindestrich Moby Dick, ist ein 1851 in London und New York erschienener Roman von Herman Melville. Das erzählerische Rückgrat des Romans ist die schicksalhafte Fahrt des Walfangschiffes Pequod, dessen einbeiniger Kapitän Ahab mit blindem Hass den weißen Pottwal jagt, der ihm das Bein abgerissen hat. Dieses Buch ist eine Überarbeitung von Wilhelm Strüvers Übersetzung der gekürzten Erstausgabe von 1927/28, wie sie von Thomas Mann herausgegeben wurde.

...for there is no folly of the beasts of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of men.An American masterpiece, Moby-Dick takes you on an epic voyage aboard the Pequod, where Captain Ahab’s obsession with the whale named "Moby Dick" drives the crew and his ship further and further into a spiral of madness.Considered a classic today, Moby-Dick was not as appreciated during Melville’s lifetime, where it even went out of print for many decades. Not until Melville’s 100 year anniversary of his birth year did a revival into his work bring Moby-Dick back into the forefront of American Literature.

Desiring to go on a whaling expedition to make a bit of money, Ishmael ignorantly signs up for the crew captained by Ahab. Once out to sea, the mysterious captain emerges proclaiming his desire to seek revenge on the white sperm whale that took his leg. Ishmael protests but is put in place by the god-like Ahab. The boat veers for the Pacific Ocean to catch this whale and Ishmael must put his hunting skills to the test.

Ever Felt Alone, Surrounded by People...? Bartleby the Scrivener explores the theme of isolation in American life and the workplace through actual physical loneliness and mental loneliness. Although all of the characters at the office are related by being co-workers, Bartleby is the only one whose name is known to us and seems serious, as the rest of characters have odd nicknames, such as "Nippers" or "Turkey." This excludes him from being normal in the workplace. Bartleby's former job was at the "Dead Letter Office" that received mail with nowhere to go, representing the isolation of communication that Bartleby had at both places of work, being that he was given a separate work area for himself at the lawyer's office. Bartleby begins to never leave the office, but repeats what he does all day long, copying, staring, and repeating his famous words of "I would prefer not to," leading readers to have another image of the repetition that leads to isolation on Wall Street and the American workplace.

Bartleby the Scrivener is one of the most highly regarded short stories of American fiction. Dealing with themes of depression, apathy, loss and curiosity it is one Herman Melville's finest works. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Classic of travel and adventure literature in which the author drew upon his experiences in the South Seas to tell of a stranded sailor's attempts to escape an idyllic but stultifying world.

This reader is accompanied with a CD that contains the full audio of the text in MP3 format. Moby Dick is the most dangerous whale in the oceans. Captain Ahab fought him and lost a leg. Now he hates Moby Dick. He wants to kill him. But can Captain Ahab and his men find the great white whale? A young sailor, Ishmael, tells the story of their exciting and dangerous trip.

Herman Melville's The Piazza Tales is the only collection of short fiction that he published in his lifetime, and it includes his two most famous short stories, Bartleby, the Scrivener and Benito Cereno, along with the less well-known but deeply engaging sketches of the Galapagos Islands and three more short stories.