Herman Melville
City of Troy, Rensselaer County, New York
Marker Inscription
Herman Melville author of "Moby Dick" family home 1838-1847 did his earliest writing and completed first two books here, "Typee" and "Omoo"
The Story
In the 1830s and '40s the restless young Herman Melville lived in this Troy-area home, and it was here that he first turned his South Seas adventures into prose. His earliest books, the Polynesian tales 'Typee' and 'Omoo,' were completed in these rooms years before 'Moby-Dick' would make—and then nearly unmake—his reputation. The house marks the workshop of a writer still finding his voice.
Why it matters
It preserves the launching point of one of America's greatest novelists, a reminder that the country's literary landmarks are as much a part of its heritage as its battlefields.
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