Melville, Herman | Melville's short fiction

Property from the Workman Collection

Melville, Herman

The Piazza Tales. New York: Dix & Edwards, 1856

8vo. 7-page publisher's advertisement at rear. Publisher's brown blind-stamped cloth, spine with gilt lettering and decoration, plum endpapers; some minor rubbing, but tight and unfoxed, a lovely copy. Half morocco case.

First edition, and the first book appearance of several of Melville's better-known short works such as “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” “Benito Cereno,” “The Lightning-Rod Man,” and “The Enchantadas.”

Following the savage reviews of Moby-Dick in 1851, it was difficult for Melville to find a home for its successor, Pierre; or, The Ambiguities. Under such circumstances, publishing anonymously became an attractive option for the author. Melville began submitting to a new periodical, Putnam's Monthly Magazine, where all but the title story were published between 1853 and 1855. "Bartleby, the Scrivener", "Benito Cereno", and "The Encantadas" are regarded as Melville's most significant achievements in the genre of short fiction.

REFERENCE:

BAL 13669