Typee - Softcover

Melville, Herman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451508157 ISBN 13: 9780451508157

Publisher: Signet Classics, 1964

Synopsis

1964, mass market edition, Signet / New American Library, NY. 320 pages. Excellent edition of this title, with a preface and afterword, discussing the author and this particular title. Typee was the first book by the man who was eventually to write Moby Dick. Typee is interesting in that it discusses a 4-month journey among primitive South Sea Islanders. There's evidence of everything here, from cannibals, shocking living arrangements, and much more. Those who knew of Melville would later question if some of this was actually true or a combination of fiction and non-fiction. Melville himself was accused of mutiny and was frequently called to task for his moralizing.

About this title

From the Publisher

Founded in 1906 by J.M. Dent, the Everyman Library has always tried to make the best books ever written available to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible price. Unique editorial features that help Everyman Paperback Classics stand out from the crowd include: a leading scholar or literary critic's introduction to the text, a biography of the author, a chronology of her or his life and times, a historical selection of criticism, and a concise plot summary. All books published since 1993 have also been completely restyled: all type has been reset, to offer a clarity and ease of reading unique among editions of the classics; a vibrant, full-color cover design now complements these great texts with beautiful contemporary works of art. But the best feature must be Everyman's uniquely low price. Each Everyman title offers these extensive materials at a price that competes with the most inexpensive editions on the market-but Everyman Paperbacks have durable binding, quality paper, and the highest editorial and scholarly standards.

From the Back Cover

Typee (1846) is the first 'romance' of the semi-autobiographical account of life in the Marquesas Islands in the 1840s. A blend of personal experience and the narratives of explorers and missionaries, it influenced many later writers on the Paciflc, including Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London. Melville himself deserted from a whaling ship in the islands and lived for four weeks among the inhabitants, observing and recording their way of life. Typee points up the wonders, the dilemmas, the 'fatal impact' of European encounter with the peoples of the Pacific. This edition offers an introduction that considers the book from a post-colonial perspective, and detailed annotation of Melville's allusions.

Edition details

• Publisher: Signet Classics
• Publication date: 1964
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0451508157
• ISBN 13: 9780451508157
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 294