Herman Melville Anthologies books in order

Reading order

Melville’s shorter works have been reprinted in dozens of anthologies over the past century, particularly “Bartleby, the Scrivener” and “Benito Cereno,” which appear regularly in collections of American short fiction. His work features in broad anthologies like “50 Great American Short Stories” (1963) and “40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology” (2000), both aimed at students and general readers.

Sea fiction anthologies naturally draw on Melville. “Classic Sea Stories” (1996), “Mysterious Sea Stories” (1987), and “The Great Sea Adventure” (2019) all include his work alongside writers from Conrad to Hemingway. The maritime tradition in English-language fiction owes a considerable debt to “Moby Dick” and the shorter sea stories.

“Writing New York” (1998) places Melville in the context of writers who have depicted New York City, connecting “Bartleby” and “Pierre” to the broader tradition of New York literary fiction. “The Short Story: 30 Masterpieces” (1992) and “50 Classic Novellas” (2011) treat his shorter fiction as foundational works of the form rather than curiosities from a novelist better known for longer books.