Herman Melville (1819-91) was an American novelist, short-story writer, poet, and essayist. Melville toiled at various times as a sailor, banker, teacher and finally as a customs inspector. His novels include "Typee, ""Omoo, " and "White Jacket, " all published in authoritative editions by Northwestern University Press. He died in relative obscurity at the age of 72. Hershel Parker, H. Fletcher Brown Professor Emeritus at the University of Delaware, General Editor of the Northwestern-Newberry Edition of""the writings of Herman Melville. His publications include "Flawed Texts and Verbal Icons," "Reading "Billy Budd,"" and the 1995 edition of Melville's "Pierre, or, The Ambiguities," illustrated by Maurice Sendak. He is also the author of "Herman Melville: A Biography, 1819-1851" and "Herman Melville: A Biography, 1851-1891," the first volume a Pulitzer finalist and each the winner of the highest award from the Association of American Publishers' Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division.