Typee

The book that made Melville famous. The adventure that scandalized the missionaries. And the paradise that turned out to be a prison.

Herman Melville’s first novel is a thrilling, exotic, and deeply ambiguous tale of a young sailor who jumps ship in the Marquesas Islands and finds himself living among a tribe of cannibals—who may be more civilized than the world he left behind.

The narrator, Tommo (based on Melville himself), is a restless young American who signs onto a whaling ship. The conditions are brutal. He and a shipmate, Toby, decide to desert. They flee into the jungle, cross mountains, and stumble into the valley of Typee, home to a tribe with a reputation for ferocity and cannibalism. The Typeans are kind, generous, and beautiful—but they will not let Tommo leave. He is not a prisoner in chains. He is a guest who cannot say goodbye. The novel describes the valley’s lush beauty, its customs, its taboos, and its hints of violence. Tommo eventually escapes, but he never forgets the place where he was both welcomed and trapped.

This is Melville at his most young and exuberant: a novel about the lure of the primitive, the hypocrisy of civilization, and the strange, uncomfortable truth that the “savages” may be more humane than the people who sent him to sea. Typee was a sensation when it was published—and it remains a thrilling read.

• Melville’s first novel, published in 1846, based on his own experiences in the Marquesas in 1842

• An immediate bestseller, making Melville famous on both sides of the Atlantic

• Attacked by missionaries for its sympathetic portrayal of Polynesian culture and its critique of Christian colonialism

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears—or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that paradise is never quite what it seems.

About the Author

Herman Melville (1819–1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet, best known for Moby-Dick (1851), now considered one of the greatest novels in the English language. Born in New York City, Melville went to sea as a young man, serving on whaling ships and merchant vessels. In 1842, he jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands and spent several weeks living among the Typee people. That experience became the basis for Typee, his first novel. The book’s success allowed him to marry and to continue writing. His later novels, including Mardi (1849) and Pierre (1852), were less successful, and his reputation declined. By the time he died in 1891, he was nearly forgotten. A revival of interest in the 1920s restored his reputation, and he is now recognized as one of the greatest American writers. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.