- description
- # Introduction to Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities
## Overview
This document is the introduction to Herman Melville's novel, "Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities." It is a textual entity extracted from a larger file and is part of a collection of Melville's complete works. The introduction includes the title page, copyright information, and the author's dedication.
## Context
The introduction is intrinsically linked to the novel "[Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities](arke:01KG8AJARZRKSHG3NCKP22CHHW)," serving as its opening section. It was extracted from the file "[pierre.txt](arke:01KG89J1JSYKSGCE149MH9HF6A)" and is cataloged within the "[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)" collection. The introduction precedes the table of contents for the novel.
## Contents
This introduction contains the title "Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities," the author's name, Herman Melville, and publication details including the publisher, Harper & Brothers, and the publication year, 1852. It also includes the copyright notice for the Southern District of New York. Following this is the dedication, addressed to "Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty," which reflects on the author's connection to the Berkshire region and its natural majesty, particularly Mount Greylock. The dedication is dated from Pittsfield, Mass.
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- Introduction to Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities
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PIERRE:
OR,
THE AMBIGUITIES.
BY
HERMAN MELVILLE.
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS
329 & 331 PEARL STREET,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1852.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by
HERMAN MELVILLE,
In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
TO
Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty.
In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their
works to Majesty. A right noble custom, which we of Berkshire must
revive. For whether we will or no, Majesty is all around us here in
Berkshire, sitting as in a grand Congress of Vienna of majestical
hill-tops, and eternally challenging our homage.
But since the majestic mountain, Greylock--my own more immediate
sovereign lord and king--hath now, for innumerable ages, been the one
grand dedicatee of the earliest rays of all the Berkshire mornings, I
know not how his Imperial Purple Majesty (royal-born: Porphyrogenitus)
will receive the dedication of my own poor solitary ray.
Nevertheless, forasmuch as I, dwelling with my loyal neighbors, the
Maples and the Beeches, in the amphitheater over which his central
majesty presides, have received his most bounteous and unstinted
fertilizations, it is but meet, that I here devoutly kneel, and render
up my gratitude, whether, thereto, The Most Excellent Purple Majesty of
Greylock benignantly incline his hoary crown or no.
_Pittsfield, Mass._
- title
- Introduction