The San Francisco call., 1896-09-13

Herman Melville. Published by the American
Publishers Corp ration, 3lO31S Sixth avenue,
New York. Price 80 cents.
The American Publishers CORPORATION is
making wise move by reissuing in popular
form Herman Melville's sterling romances.
OF these, "Typee' is considered by competent
critics to be the best. It's publication at this
time would seem to betoken a return on the
part of the reading public to a taste for more
he althy varieties of literature than those with
which it has lately been supplied. 1t is a fact
Ito our discredit be it recorded) that famous
books of travel, which for generations formed
the bulk of our Libraries, relegated to the
topmost sheives-honored as classics, but un-
busted and unread.
''Typee" MADE its appearance in 1S46. Its
publication in numerous editions has been at
tended with so much success, both in England
and America, that short biographical note of
Its author may be. OF interest
Herman Melville was born in New York on
August 1, 1919. Shortly after the death of
his father in reduced circumstances necessi-
tated the removal of his mother and the family
of eight brothers and sisters to the village of
Lansingburg, on the Hudson River. There
Herman remained until 1885. A rowing dis
position, com ed with an Unborn love of
nautical life, led him to ship as eabin-boy in
vessel trading between New York and Liver
pool. On this trip he visited London after
ward returning to America on the same yes
sci. "Redburn: His First Voyage" published
in 1S49, was the direct result of his expert
ences.
Between 1897 and 1910 Melville occupied
himself with schoolteaching For his work in
this direction he was remunerated with the
sum OF "six dollars per quarter and board"
Then the nomadic instinct broke out in him
again. His biographer, arthur Steadman is
of the opinion that a perusal of Richard
Henry Dana's 1.-TWO Years Before the Mast"
was the cause of this second outbreak. He
shipped in the whaler Aeushnet, bound for
the Pacific Ocean and the sperm fishery. Mel
vile decided to quit the vessel at the Mar
quesas Islands. The story of "Typee" begins at
this point, and the immense influence his
whaling cruise had upon him can best be de-
scribed in his own words
"If 1 shall ever deserve any real repute in
that small but high-hushed world might not
be unreasonably ambitious of; if hereafter
!. shall do anything that on the whole man
might rather have done than to have left I'M
done then here I prospectively
ascribe all the honor and the glory to
whaling; for whaleshlp was my Yale Col
! lege and my Harvard"
! The sequel to ''Typee" was named by Melville
| "Omoo.'' Like the first it is record of adven-
| ture in the South seas. After staying at Homo
! lulu for four months, during which time he
was employed as clerk, our author Joined
| which reached Boston in October, 1874 The
narrative of his experiences is to be found in
"WhIte Jacket; or, The World in a Man-of-
| War
1t will thus have been seen that of Melville's
! four most important books three are directly
photographed and one partly so. 1t is not
to be supposed that he entered upon nautical
| career with the distinct project of making lit
| erary capital out of it. And it is well that he
did not, for this insured a freshness of style
that would have been impossible under other
circumstances.
"Typee" was completed in 1S45. The manu-
script was handed to a brother of Melville
with instructions to submit the same to the
| late John Murray, who Immediately accented
it. Its publication followed shortly after and
was attended with much success.
! The lecture platform claimed much of Mel
vile's attention during the years 1857 and
! 1860. He lectured in cities as widely apart az
Montreal, Chicago, Baltimore and San Fran
cisco, reaching the latter place in 1861 after
! trip round the Horn.
Among the many famous authors who were
in communication with Melville at one time
or the other may be mentioned w. Clark Rus
| sell, Nathaniel Hawthorne (who was his neigh
Dor tor some years. and Richard Henry Stod-
| dard. Clark Russell, in particular, found much
| to excite his admiration in Melville's work
An extract from one of Melvilles letters will
| serve 10 snow now the readers of England re-
| garded Melville's writings:
"Your reputation here is very great. It is
hard to meet man whose opinion as reader
is worth having who does not speak of your
work in such terms as he might hesitate to
employ, with all his patriotism, toward many
renowned English writer's"
| Coming from such source, this was praise
indeed, and it should be noted that Meville's
increased reputation in England at the period
of this letter was chiefly owing to a series of
articles on his work written by Russell
Melville died at his home in New York Citv
in September, 1891. Numerous and lengthy
reviews of his life and work were published in
the American press at the time.
! OF "Typee" it can only be said that it was
regarded as classic Immediately on its ap-
pearance, and there can be no doubt that it
will continue to hold its place as such. In
charm of description it can be compared to
that friend of our boyhood, Robinson Crusoe {"
Possessing as he did pen that was both virile
and facile, the death of Herman Melville was
q loss to American letters, his influe nee upon
| which was at one time so marked.
AN TCT AND OITTrAcn