Research topic: Herman Melville

Herman Melville 1819-91, American author, b. New York City, considered one of the great American writers and a major figure in world literature. Early Life and Works Born into an impoverished family of distinguished Dutch and English colonial descent, Melville was 12 when his father died. He left school at 15, worked at a variety of jobs, and in 1839 signed on as a cabin boy on a ship bound for Liverpool, an experience reflected in his romance Redburn. In 1841-42 he spent 18 months on a whaler, but intolerable hardships on board caused him and a companion to escape from the ship at... Read more