Pierre, or the Ambiguities (Works of Herman Melville) [Hardcover]

Herman Melville (Author), Henry A. Murray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1962 | Series: Works of Herman Melville

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. This text refers to the Bibliobazaar edition.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This was Melville's 1852 follow-up to the then flop Moby Dick. His publishers, fearing they had another failure on their hands, forced Melville to make additions to the text before they'd publish it. Melville later referred to the original, shorter version as his "kraken" book. Editor Parker has here restored the psychological novel to Melville's intended form. The text is buttressed with 30 full-color illustrations by Maurice Sendak. For serious literature collections.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet who received wide acclaim for his earliest novels, such as Typee and Redburn, but fell into relative obscurity by the end of his life. Today, Melville is hailed as one of the definitive masters of world literature for novels including Moby Dick and Billy Budd, as well as for enduringly popular short stories such as Bartleby, the Scrivener and The Bell-Tower.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Hendricks House (December 1962)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875320031
• ISBN-13: 978-0875320038
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,549,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bad, Bizarre and Brilliant, February 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pierre, or The Ambiguities: Volume Seven, Scholarly Edition (Melville) (Paperback)

Pierre is perhaps the strangest novel of all time: bizarre, to say the least, but brilliant in its extravagence. At a minimum, it is one of Melville's central novels that deconstructs the entire myth of pre-war American society in its explorations of incest, patricide and psychosis. It is almost inconceivable that Melivlle really believed that it would be popular (which he did), for it shows the impossibility of writing as an American author, the impossibility of originality, and the impossibility of self-reliance. Beware: it is not for the faint of heart. It is demanding, relentlessly challenging, and very rewarding.

36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memorable and Disturbing, April 5, 2000

By 

Padma Thornlyre - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pierre: or, The Ambiguities (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

It's been since grad school, in the early 80s, that I last read Melville's "Pierre", yet it's stuck to my ribs ever since. I recall a quote from Freud, that he ventured nowhere that a poet hadn't preceeded him, and I have to wonder if he had this unfortunately obscure masterpiece in mind. For Melville examines themes of psychology and sexuality as no other writer before him...excepting perhaps the Pagan mystics of old Europe. "Pierre" brilliantly illuminates the darknesses of the human psyche, those tunnels and strange rooms few of us ever explore, lest we be artists and therefore honest and courageous enough to sacrifice our egos. Melville considered "Pierre" his most important work, a suitable novel to follow "Moby Dick" (justifiably considered by many THE great American novel). Yet I find "Pierre" more moving, because more tragic, than "Moby Dick"--Ahab is obsessed and while his obsessions mixed with his intelligence make him complex, he is clearly one-dimensional in his drive. Pierre, however, is drawn by instincts which defy his conscious realization, by desires which emanate from the dark belly of humanity and therefore can't be seen. Ahab wants revenge; Pierre wants fulfillment. For a landlocked person such as myself, "Pierre" is also an easier read: no boggling display of nautical terminology to refer to on every page. Yeah, Freud was right: he owed a great deal to the poets...and while, technically, Melville was more storyteller or novelist than poet, here is a poetry there that's unmistakeable. Embrace this book, and embrace the spirit of the great man who possessed the courage to write it.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More light and the gloom of that light, May 25, 2001

By 

mark chivers (Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pierre: or, The Ambiguities (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

"In those Hyperborean regions, to which enthusiastic truth and earnestness, and independence, will invariably lead a mind fitted by nature for profound and fearless thought, all objects are seen in a dubious, uncertain and refracting light." One long, gorgeous inquiry into the nature of religion, spirituality and the stars, galaxies and planets of our firmament. American authors just don't come any more honest or more wise. He parodies and inverts Christianity; he shines on; the ashes of trad. belief are left in his wake.