In November 2016, I visited Herman Melville’s home, Arrowhead, which is nestled in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. Melville lived there from 1850 to 1863. It’s where he wrote Moby-Dick, which was published in 1851. Moby-Dick might be seen as the greatest American novel today, but it was initially dismissed as a dud. In 1863, the struggling writer moved his family to Manhattan and took a job as a customs inspector.
Looking for Maurice
The day after Christmas, I rather spontaneously decided to go to Manhattan. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. On the train, I decided I’d head to The Strand Bookstore in search of a copy of E.M. Forster’s Maurice for the upcoming Book Cougars’ read-along. I recently struck out at three stores here in Connecticut and am hoping to find the book in the wild rather than order it online.
My foot is, thankfully, on the mend. I happily walked from Grand Central to The Strand, which is about a mile and a half down Park Avenue. One of the great things about walking around Manhattan is that you can almost always bump into something historical.
Melville plaque
I noticed the “Herman Melville Square” street sign on a prior walk, but didn’t have time to investigate then. This time I did. So I took a left onto 26th street and quickly spotted this plaque on the right-hand side of the street:
The plaque reads:
Herman Melville
The American Author
Resided from 1863-1891 at this site
104 East 26th Street
Where he wrote
Billy Budd
Among other works
I’ve circled the plaque in the photo above. I wish the truck wasn’t in the way, but you take your photo ops as you can in the Big Apple. This is not the house Melville lived in, but the site where his house once stood.
This 1982 New York Times article describes how the site of Melville’s home was identified. It offers facts and speculation about his life in NYC, complete with academics’ romantic condescension about Melville having to take a job, his income, and wearing a uniform. I suppose some would prefer to imagine him saying, “I’d rather not.”
Although this isn’t the house where Melville actually lived, it is pretty cool to know that you’re walking the same blocks that he once walked.
Moby Dick Marathons
By the way, the 22nd Moby Dick Marathon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum is January 5-7, 2018. I got snowed out last year and won’t be able to attend this year, but if you’re interested, check it out. They’ll be live-streaming it.
And the good folks at Arrowhead have also created an annual Moby Dick marathon reading event. They had their first one in August and plan to do it again in 2018. Details not yet announced.
And, alas, The Strand did not have a copy of Maurice, but I have another used store to visit in the coming weeks. Fingers crossed.
Looking for more Melville?
This post was updated for readability and to add a link to this very cool video, “Chasing Melville and Moby Dick from New York to Bedford” by Travel by the Book TV.