The piazza tales / Herman Melville ; with drawing by Benj Greenstein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Melville, Herman, 1819-1891.

Contributor:

Benno, Benjamin, 1901-1980, illustrator.

Language:

English

Genre:

Short stories.

Limitation statements (Publishing)

Physical Description:

270 pages : frontispiece, plates ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Elf Publishers, 1929.

Summary:

Included are two sea tales that encompass the essence of Melville's art: "Benito Cereno", an exhilarating account of mutiny and rescue aboard a disabled slave ship, which is a parable of man's struggle against the forces of evil, and "The Encantadas", ten allegorical sketches of the Galapagos Islands, which reveal nature to be both enchanting and horrifying. Two pieces explore themes of isolation and defeat found in Melville's great novels: "Bartelby, the Scrivener", a prophetically modern story of alienation and loss on nineteenth-century Wall Street, and "The Bell Tower", a Faustian tale about a Renaissance architect who brings about his own violent destruction. The other two works reveal Melville's mastery of very different writing styles: "The Lightning-Rod Man", a satire showcasing his talent for Dickensian comedy, and "The Piazza", the title story of the collection, which anticipates the author's later absorption with poetry.

Contents:

The piazza

Bartleby

Benito Cereno

The lightning-rod man

The Encantadas; or, Enchanted islands

The bell-tower.

Notes:

"Of this edition ... only seven hundred and fifty numbered copies were printed, for sale in the United States and England, and the type destroyed. This copy is no. 151."

Illustrated t.p. with decorative border.

Plates accompanied by guardsheets with descriptive letterpress.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Gift of Bernice Keebler in memory of Edward J. Keebler.

Cited in:

Ricks & Adams. Melville, 2023

OCLC:

2945415