OMOO: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas
London: John Murray, 1847. First Edition. Hardcover. First edition, preceding the American issue by just over a week. Signature mark "P" in BAL state A. Following the commercial and critical success of Typee (1846), Melville continued his series of South Sea adventure-romances with Omoo. Named after the Polynesian term for a rover, or someone who roams from island to island, Omoo chronicles the tumultuous events aboard a South Sea whaling vessel and is based on Melville’s personal experiences as a crew member on a ship sailing the Pacific. From recruiting among the natives for sailors to handling deserters and even mutiny, Melville gives a first-person account of life as a sailor during the nineteenth century filled with colorful characters and vivid descriptions of the far-flung locales of Polynesia. Small octavo: xiii, [1, blank], 321, [1] pp. with a frontispiece map. In a contemporary "Potter's Library" brown cloth binding, which has been recased with the original spine strip laid down. The spine is darkened a touch, with some general shelfwear. BAL 13655. Good. Item #78077
Price: $350.00