Herman Melville - Piazza Tales and Other Prose Pieces, 1839-1860: Volume Nine, Scholarly Edition (Melville)

Cover

Page i

THE WRITINGS OF HERMAN MELVILLE
The Northwestern-Newberry Edition
VOLUME NINE

Page ii

EDITORS
HARRISON HAYFORD, General Editor
HERSHEL PARKER, Associate General Editor
G. THOMAS TANSELLE, Bibliographical Editor

ASSOCIATES
RICHARD COLLES JOHNSON, Bibliographical Associate
BRIAN HIGGINS, Editorial Associate
LYNN HORTH, Editorial Associate
R. D. MADISON, Editorial Associate
ROBERT C. RYAN, Manuscript Associate
DONALD YANNELLA, Manuscript Associate

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
ALMA A. MACDOUGALL

ADVISORY BOARD
JOHN HURT FISHER For the Modern Language Association of America
WILLIAM M. GIBSON For the Modern Language Association of America
LEON HOWARD For the Modern Language Association of America
WILLARD THORP For the Modern Language Association of America
MOODY E. PRIOR For Northwestern University
LAWRENCE W. TOWNER For the Newberry Library

Page iii

The Piazza Tales
and Other Prose Pieces
18391860

Page iv

This volume edited by
HARRISON HAYFORD
ALMA A. MACDOUGALL
G. THOMAS TANSELLE
and others

Historical Note by
MERTON M. SEALTS, JR.

Associates
RICHARD COLLES JOHNSON
BRIAN HIGGINS
LYNN HORTH
R. D. MADISON
ROBERT C. RYAN
DONALD YANNELLA

Contributing Scholars
MARY K. BERCAW
PATRICIA L. WARD

Editorial Coordinator
ALMA A. MACDOUGALL

Page v

HERMAN MELVILLE

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY PRESS

and

THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY

Evanston and Chicago

1987

Page vi

THE RESEARCH leading to the establishment of the text printed herein exclusive of Statues in Rome, The South Seas, and Traveling was undertaken pursuant to a contract with the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education, under the provisions of the Co perative Research Program. The research pertaining to Melvilles lectures was previously conducted by Merton M. Sealts, Jr., for the volume Melville as Lecturer (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1957), and materials from that publication are incorporated herein with the authorization of Harvard University Press. The Historical Note was prepared independently of the text.

Publication of the Northwestern-Newberry Edition of THE WRITINGS OF HERMAN MELVILLE has been made possible through the financial support of Northwestern University and its Research Committee, and of The Newberry Library. Northwestern University Press produced and published this edition and reserves all rights.

The reconstructed texts of and accompanying notes to Statues in Rome, The South Seas, and Traveling: Its Pleasures, Pains, and Profits copyright 1987 by Merton M. Sealts, Jr.

Historical Note copyright 1980, 1981 by Merton M. Sealts, Jr.

Remainder of volume 1987 by Northwestern University Press and The Newberry Library.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER 87-60937

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FIRST PRINTING, 1987
SECOND PRINTING, 1992
THIRD PRINTING, 1995

Textual change in this printing: 418.24 some are killed

Cloth Edition, ISBN 0-8101-0550-0

Paper Edition, ISBN 0-8101-0551-9

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Page 1

With fairest flowers,
Whilst summer lasts, and I live here, Fidele

W HEN I REMOVED into the country, it was to occupy an old-fashioned farm-house, which had no piazzaa deficiency the more regretted, because not only did I like piazzas as somehow combining the coziness of in-doors with the freedom of out-doors, and it is so pleasant to inspect your thermometer there, but the country round about was such a picture, that in berry time no boy climbs hill or crosses vale without coming upon easels planted in every nook, and sun-burnt painters painting there. A very paradise of painters. The circle of the stars cut by the circle of the mountains. At least, so looks it from the house; though, once upon the mountains, no circle of them can you see. Had the site been chosen five rods off, this charmed ring would not have been.