Bartleby, The Scrivener

Price range: $95.00 through $195.00

By Herman Melville

Published as the September 2025 Thornwillow Dispatch.
A timeless story of refusal, resilience, and the human spirit. First appearing in 1853, it remains one of the most enigmatic and compelling works in American letters. In 1853, Herman Melville published a strange, slender story in Putnam’s Monthly Magazine. On the surface, it was about an unremarkable Wall Street law office and a quiet copyist named Bartleby. But then Bartleby began to say something no one expected: “I would prefer not to.” He said it politely. He said it without drama. He said it when asked to do work, and later, when asked to leave. This simple refusal rippled through the office like a crack in the walls — a crack the narrator, a mild-mannered lawyer, tried to patch with patience, charity, and eventually, indifference.

Our edition of Bartleby, the Scrivener is accompanied by stereograph images of 1865 Wall Street. These streets would have been familiar to Melville and this is the neighborhood in which Bartleby “prefered not to.” One plate shows the Custom House where Melville worked after his writing career had taken a turn for the worse. These images are printed letterpress as duotones — a particularly challenging process to achieve, yet our craftsmanship delivers images of exceptional beauty.

Originally published as the September 2025 Dispatch.

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Description

What is Bartleby, the Scrivener? Is it a satire of office life in the new industrial age? A fable of modern alienation? A portrait of depression before the word existed? Is Bartleby a hero of passive resistance — or a warning against disengagement?

Melville left us no answers. What he gave instead was a masterpiece of ambiguity: a work that feels entirely of its time and yet eerily prescient. In the era of burnout, “quiet quitting,” and disillusionment with systems that grind us down and make us feel that what happens to us is beyond our control, Bartleby’s voice sounds uncannily current.

About the Author

Herman Melville (1819–1891) was one of America’s most original and adventurous literary voices. Born in New York City, he went to sea as a young man, drawing on his voyages to write early successes like Typee and Omoo. His great whaling epic Moby-Dick was misunderstood in its day, leading him to turn toward shorter fiction such as Bartleby. Though his work faded from public view before his death, the 20th century rediscovered him as a master of American prose — one of America’s iconic and defining writers whose insight into human nature remains as relevant today as when it was written.

If Bartleby has ever unsettled you, puzzled you, or lingered in your mind — or if you’ve never encountered him before; if you feel that you cannot influence the community in which you live, or your destiny is not your own — this is your chance to engage with this iconic story of quiet rebellion in a collectible form that is beautifully designed and crafted to last.

Additional information

Weight 1 lbs
Binding

Classic, Patron

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