Herman Melville

Typee Illustrated Herman Melville

Typee is a fast-moving adventure tale, an autobiographical account of the author's Polynesian stay, an examination of the nature of good and evil, and a frank exploration of sensuality and exotic ritual. Herman Melville's first book Typee is a blend of the creative memoir, cultural commentary, and good storytelling. Melville recounts and elaborates on his experiences among the Typee cannibals on the French Polynesian island of Nuku Hiva (Marquesas Islands) in 1842. Typee ended up being Meville's best-selling book during his lifetime, no doubt due to both his skill as a writer mated with his romantic story of life among Polynesian savages. The book flows nicely and balances between the chasms of cultural superiority & noble savage worship that can easily dominate these types of books.