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Record Number: 26304

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Moby Dick'. The present vogue of Hermann Melville is mainly due to two English novelists, Frank Swinnerton and myself. We both of us have great opportunities for publicity and 8 or 10 years ago, in the Reform Club, we decided to convince the world that 'Moby Dick' was the greatest of all sea-novels. And we did! There is a lot more of Melville that you ought to read, if you have not already read it. Some of the �Piazza Tales� are wonderful. And the novel 'Pierre', though while mad and very strange and overstrained, is really original and remarkable. Some of the still stranger books I have not yet read or tried to read. The trouble is that the esoteric books can only be obtained in the complete edition of the works. Happily I possess it. I believe that the original editions of 'Typee' and 'Omoo' are much better than the current editions, which have been expurgated. Please note that I think 'Evan Harrington' is better than 'Beauchamp�s Career' and 'The Woodlanders' better than the 'Mayor of Casterbridge'.

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Until: 2 Aug 1930

Country:

n/a

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Arnold Bennett

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

27 May 1867

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer/journalist/reviewer

Religion:

Christian

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

n/a

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Herman Melville

Title:

Pierre: or the Ambiguities

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

owned

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Source Information:

Record ID:

26304

Source:

Print

Author:

Arnold Bennett

Editor:

James Hepburn

Title:

Letters of Arnold Bennett Vol.III 1916 -1931

Place of Publication:

London: Oxford University Press

Date of Publication:

1970

Vol:

III

Page:

337-8

Additional Comments:

In a letter from Arnold Bennett to Andr� Gide, from Rod Meadow. Trewoofe, dated 2 August 1930

Citation:

Arnold Bennett, James Hepburn (ed.), Letters of Arnold Bennett Vol.III 1916 -1931, (London: Oxford University Press, 1970), III, p. 337-8, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=26304, accessed: 03 February 2026

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Additional Comments:

None