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Herman Melville Primary Sources

Historical documents. What clues can you gather about Herman Melville, the time, place, players, and culture?

Moby-Dick

E-text of the novel.

Billy Budd

E-text of Melville's posthumously published novel.

Bartleby, the Scrivener

E-text of the short story.

Benito Cereno

E-text of the short story.

Letter

Letter from Herman Melville, age 9, to his Aunt Lucy.

Melville's Letters to Hawthorne

Correspondence between the two writers and friends.

Mocha Dick

The article that inspired Moby-Dick.