"A book in a man's brain is better off than a book bound in calf — at any rate it is safe from criticism."
Herman Melville wrote these lines a few months before his novel Moby-Dick; or, The Whale was published in London. Shortly thereafter, it was also released in his hometown of New York. Maybe Melville had a feeling that Moby-Dick would be a commercial flop: Only about 3,000 copies were sold during his lifetime.
It took years before Melville's talent would be celebrated to the extent it is today.
Thanks to his novel Moby-Dick, the US author is considered to be one of the greatest writers of the 19th century, as well as a monument of literary history and a pioneer of the modern novel. Now, as the celebrated author's 200th birthday rolls around — Melville was born August 1, 1819 in New York City — it's important to remember that for almost a century, his work was largely forgotten.
