# Herman Melville

## Biography

Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819. His family faced financial hardship after his merchant father’s death when Melville was just a teenager. He held various jobs, including bank clerk and teacher, before embarking on a seafaring career in 1839. His experiences as a common sailor, including a whaling voyage and a period in the Marquesas Islands, profoundly influenced his early writing. These adventures formed the basis for his first successful novels like Typee and Omoo.

Melville married Elizabeth Shaw in 1847. His literary ambition grew, leading to his masterpiece, Moby-Dick, published in 1851. Though now considered an American classic, it received mixed reviews and little commercial success during his lifetime. Struggling financially, Melville later wrote short fiction and poetry, eventually taking a position as a customs inspector in New York City, a job he held for two decades. He died on September 28, 1891, with much of his work, including the novella Billy Budd, Sailor, gaining significant recognition only posthumously.

## Books

- [Moby Dick](https://samolit.com/books/96138)
- [Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street](https://samolit.com/books/96078)
- [Moby Dick; Or, The Whale](https://samolit.com/books/95795)
- [Moby Dick](https://samolit.com/books/4862)