ISRAEL POTTER:
His Fifty Years of Exile.
By
HERMAN MELVILLE,
AUTHOR OF “TYPEE,” “OMOO,” ETC.
New York:
G. P. PUTNAM & CO., 10 PARK PLACE.
1855.
About This Book
A first-person memoir traces a life of military service, extended exile, and a succession of occupations and hardships, recounting storms, perilous travels, and years spent eking out a living abroad. Upon an elderly return home the narrator petitions for official recognition and relief but meets bureaucratic indifference, highlighting the gap between patriotic expectation and practical neglect. The plainspoken narrative emphasizes endurance, religious faith, and self-reliant values while recording detailed episodes of suffering and survival. Its voice appears mediated by another hand, producing a measured, petitionary tone that blends anecdote, practical detail, and moral reflection.