Melville, Herman:

$6,750 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

MARDI: AND A VOYAGE THITHER. First edition, preceding the U.S. edition. One of one thousand sets printed. This was the first Melville work published by Richard Bentley, after John Murray declined it due to Omoo's poor performance. Murray may have made the right choice, as "[Mardi's] complicated allegories earned it harsh reviews and few readers" (Reese). Apart from The Whale, this is Melville's only other three volume novel. While a difficult set indeed in original cloth, this first edition is rare in any form."Taji, the hero, and his Norse companion Jarl desert from a whaling ship in southern Pacific waters and meet the brigantine Parki, abandoned except for the comic Polynesian husband and wife, Samoa and Annatoo. The four pass pleasant days aboard the Parki, until it sinks during a storm and Annatoo is drowned. Adrift in a whaleboat, Taji, Jarl, and Samoa meet a native priest and his ward, the mysterious white maiden Yillah, whom he is taking to be sacrificed. They rescue the maiden and reach Mardi, the realm of transcendental beauty, where Taji and YIllah spend a blissful period in love. When she suddenly vanishes, beatuy and delight are also gone, and Taji searches for her through the islands of Mardi" – Hart.

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