Mardi: and a Voyage Thither

First American edition of Melville's third book.

His first two books, Typee and Omoo, were a blend of fact and fiction, inspired by his experiences as a sailor in the South Seas. Mardi, on the other hand, marks Melville's first wholesale excursion into fiction, following the protagonist, Taji, as he travels through mythical South Sea archipelagoes in search of transcendental beauty in the form of his lost love, Yillah. An experimental novel combining metaphysics, allegory, and a satire of modern nations, literature, religion, etc., it was poorly received by critics and general readers alike. Today it is seen as an important transitional work leading to the mature style found in his masterpiece, Moby Dick.

REFERENCES: BAL 13658.

PROVENANCE: With the ownership inscription of Frederick Halstead Teese (1823-1894), a New Jersey attorney and politician who served one term in the U. S. House of Representatives (1875-1877).

CONDITION: Good, minimal rubbing, spines faded, small breaks at head and foot of spine on each volume, closed and scarcely noticeable 1.5" split in gutter along back cover of vol. 1, areas of discoloration to endpapers and the usual occasional foxing, which is more pronounced on the first and last few leaves of each volume; early ownership inscription in ink on endpapers of "F. H. Teese."