Herman Melville
239 copies for sale · $20–$80,000 · 59 first editions · 3 signed
Notable copies for sale
Moby Dick - Herman Melville - Folio Society 2009 Limited Edition - VGC (2009) — eBay$2,079
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale (first edition) — Heritage Book Shop$50,000
The Confidence Man: His Masquerade (first edition) — B & B Rare Books$10,000
Typee. Narrative of a Four Months’ Residence among the Natives of a Valley of the Marquesa (first edition) — James Cummins Bookseller$4,500
Pierre; or, the Ambiguities (first edition) — Burnside Rare Books$3,800
Pierre; or, The Ambiguities (first edition) — James Cummins Bookseller$3,500
MODY DICK 2 VOLUME SET; Or the Whale (first edition) — Rare Book Cellar$598
The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade (signed) — James Cummins Bookseller$6,500
Moby Dick o la balena. Traduzione di Bernardino Vieri. Illustrazioni di Giorgio De Gaspari (first edition) — Rulon-Miller Books$225
A story from 'The Piazza Tales' called The lightning-rod man (signed) — Rulon-Miller Books$100
White-Jacket;. or The World in a Man-of-War (first edition) — Heritage Book Shop$3,000
White Jacket; or the World in a Man-Of-War (first edition) — Burnside Rare Books$2,200
What these are worth
Mardi: and a Voyage Thither5 copies from 5 sellers
Omoo3 copies from 3 sellers
Each page gathers every copy on the market, what similar copies have fetched, and the spread between them.
Works on the market
MOBY DICK10 copies · $43–$250
MOBY DICK, OR THE WHALE6 copies · $12,000–$80,000
MELVILLE; Moby Dick, Billy Budd, and Other Writings6 copies · $45–$71
MARDI: AND A VOYAGE THITHER5 copies · $900–$8,500
BILLY BUDD AND BENITO CERENO; Easton Press5 copies · $273–$293
SHORT STORIES; Easton Press4 copies · $273–$298
TYPEE4 copies · $43–$58
Moby Dick la ballena blanca3 copies · $45–$275
Moby Dick; Or, the Whale2 copies · $40–$50,000
Confidence-Man. His Masquerade2 copies · $6,500–$10,000
The works of Herman Melville2 copies · $73–$6,500
Mardi: And a Voyage Thither2 copies · $1,250–$1,750
MOBY-DICK OR THE WHALE 2 VOLUME SET; Franklin Library2 copies · $598–$698
OMOO: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas2 copies · $300–$500
Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life during a Four Months' Residence in a Valley of the Marque2 copies · $325–$400
MOBY DICK; Easton Press2 copies · $293
SHORTER NOVELS OF HERMAN MELVILLE2 copies · $73–$273
TYPEE; Franklin Library2 copies · $273
BILLY BUDD, SAILOR & THE PIAZZA TALES; Franklin Library2 copies · $123–$173
Benito Cereno2 copies · $45–$150
Market context
200 copies of Herman Melville's works have left the market recently; the median last-listed price was $49 (last listed prices at time of sale or removal, not confirmed sale prices).
Recent auction results (hammer prices, premiums not included):
Moby Dick, first Rockwell Kent edition, custom morocco binding, New York, 1930. (forum, 2026-07-02)£850
Listings aggregated from rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide; refreshed continually. Prices are seller asking prices unless marked as auction results.