Pierre Leyris Book order (chronological)

Herman Melville first glimpsed the Galapagos Islands as a young seaman on the whaler Acushnet. Years later, after the failure of Moby-Dick, he sought to regain his lost popularity by writing a series of magazine sketches titled "The Encantadas or Enchanted Isles," which reflect the strange and captivating worlds he encountered there. These sketches explore themes of isolation, nature's grandeur, and the interplay between humanity and the environment, capturing the unique essence of the islands and their enigmatic allure. Through vivid descriptions and philosophical musings, Melville invites readers to contemplate the mysteries of existence and the beauty of the natural world, creating a rich tapestry of narrative that resonates with both adventure and introspection.

Performed variously as escapist fantasy, celebratory fiction, and political allegory, The Tempest is one of the plays in which Shakespeare's genius as a poetic dramatist found its fullest expression. Significantly, it was placed first when published in the First Folio of 1623, and is now generally seen as the playwright's most penetrating statement about his art. Stephen Orgel's wide-ranging introduction examines changing attitudes to The Tempest, and reassesses the evidence behind the various readings. He focuses on key characters and their roles and relationships, as well as on the dramatic, historical, and political context, finding the play to be both more open and more historically determined than traditional views have allowed.