Typee

Typee (1846) is the first 'romance' of the semi-autobiographical account of life in the Marquesas Islands in the 1840s. A blend of personal experience and the narratives of explorers and missionaries, it influenced many later writers on the Paciflc, including Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London. Melville himself deserted from a whaling ship in the islands and lived for four weeks among the inhabitants, observing and recording their way of life. Typee points up the wonders, the dilemmas, the 'fatal impact' of European encounter with the peoples of the Pacific. This edition offers an introduction that considers the book from a post-colonial perspective, and detailed annotation of Melville's allusions.

Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life is a mid-19th century novel by author Herman Melville. Largely based on his own personal experiences as a beach comber in the South Pacific Marquesas Islands. Although today Moby Dick is the most popular title by Melville, Typee was considered during his lifetime to be his most popular work. Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life is highly recommended for those who enjoy the writings of Herman Melville and for those who are discovering his writings for the first time.