1849: “RARE SPORT AT OHONOO,” BY HERMAN MELVILLE

American novelist Herman Melville (1819–1891) went to sea at age 18 as a merchant marine, worked on a whaler, served with the U.S. Navy, lived with a native tribe in the Marquesas, and was jailed in Tahiti as a mutineer. He began writing after his return to New York. "Mardi: and a Voyage Thither" was published in 1849, two years before "Moby Dick," Melville's seafaring masterpiece. "Mardi" sold po...

Subscribe or Login

Plans start at $5, cancel anytimeTrouble logging-in? Contact us.