The Piazza Tales: illustrated Edition

The Piazza Tales as you haven't seen it before -- in a remarkable illustrated edition.

Step into a world where reality and illusion blur, where solitude speaks louder than words, and where every shadow carries a secret. In The Piazza Tales, Herman Melville masterfully crafts six mesmerizing stories, each a journey into the unknown—whether deep within the human soul or across vast, uncharted landscapes.

From the quiet isolation of a mountaintop cottage in The Piazza, where a mysterious golden window hints at dreams unfulfilled, to the eerie silence of a New York law office in Bartleby, the Scrivener, where a man’s simple refusal—“I would prefer not to”—unravels everything, Melville draws readers into tales of obsession, defiance, and the haunting power of fate.

Sail into treacherous waters with Benito Cereno, where a ghostly ship hides a terrible secret, and confront the spectral Lightning-Rod Man, whose ominous warnings crackle like the storms he claims to tame. Journey to the desolate Encantadas, where castaways and giant tortoises wander a barren volcanic wasteland, or stand before The Bell-Tower, where an architect’s genius turns deadly.

With his signature mix of adventure, philosophy, and psychological depth, Melville weaves stories that linger in the mind like unfinished dreams. Each tale is a glimpse into human nature at its most mysterious—offering both light and shadow, beauty and despair.

Will you dare to look beyond the surface? Open these pages and find yourself lost in a world where nothing is as it seems.

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Release date

Audiobook: March 19, 2025