Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville

"I prefer not to," he respectfully and slowly said, and mildly disappeared. Academics hail it as the beginning of modernism, but to readers around the world—even those daunted by Moby-Dick—Bartleby the Scrivener is simply one of the most absorbing and moving novellas ever. Set in the mid-19th century on New York City’s Wall Street, it was also, perhaps, Herman Melville's most prescient story: what if a young man caught up in the rat race of commerce finally just said, "I would prefer not to"? The tale is one of the final works of fiction published by Melville before, slipping into despair over the continuing critical dismissal of his work after Moby-Dick, he abandoned publishing fiction. The work is presented here exactly as it was originally published in Putnam's magazine—to, sadly, critical disdain. The Art of The Novella Series Too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story, the novella is generally unrecognized by academics and publishers. Nonetheless, it is a form beloved and practiced by literature's greatest writers. In the Art Of The Novella series, Melville House celebrates this renegade art form and its practitioners with titles that are, in many instances, presented in book form for the first time. From the Trade Paperback edition.

- Google

The 343rd greatest fiction book of all time


This book is on the following lists:

  1. - 13th on El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
  2. - The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
  3. - The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)
  4. - 100 Novels That Shaped Our World (BBC)

Buy This Book

Name Binding Sales Rank Lowest New Lowest Used Published
Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street Illustrated (Penguin Classics) Paperback 2506731 $16.99 2021
Herman Melville Collection: Moby Dick, Bartleby the Scrivener and Sailor Billy Budd Paperback 1181323 $19.95 2020
Bartleby, the Scrivener Illustrated Paperback 787381 $7.99 2021
Bartleby: The Scrivener Paperback 2639553 $4.50 $4.49 2014
Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street (The Art of the Novella series) Paperback 54712 $4.71 $2.89 2004
Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street (Unexpurgated Start Publishing LLC) Kindle Edition 186698 $0.99 2012
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street (Library Edition) Audio CD 4510814 $14.00 $17.95 2011
Bartleby, the Scrivener; A Story of Wall Street Kindle Edition 557691 2013
Bartleby, The Scrivener A Story Of Wall-Street Paperback 7822792 $5.53 $7.81 2012
Bartleby, The Scrivener Kindle Edition 252842 $0.99 2013
Bartleby, the Scrivener: This is the short story, which is now brought to you in this new version of the immortal classic. Paperback 1863839 $6.33 2021
Bartleby, the Scrivener Annotated: Editor's Selection Paperback 1245485 $15.00 2021
Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street, and Benito Cereno by Herman Melville Paperback 723724 $3.59 2020
Bartleby, The Scrivener Hardcover 2229950 $13.99 $31.34 1853
HERMAN MELVILLE Ultimate Collection: 50+ Adventure Classics, Philosophical Novels & Short Stories: Moby-Dick, Typee, Omoo, Bartleby the Scrivener, Benito ... Cruise, John Marr and Other Sailors… Kindle Edition 10575 $0.00 2017
Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville(Annotated) Kindle Edition 450706 $3.99 2022
Bartleby, the Scrivener: By Herman Melville : Illustrated Paperback 1181511 $5.29 2016
Bartleby, the Scrivener: By Herman Melville : Illustrated - Original & Unabridged (Free Audiobook Inside) Kindle Edition 330112 2016
Bartleby the Scrivener Illustrated Kindle Edition 296472 $2.99 2021
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street Audio CD 5037278 $11.76 $15.79
Bartleby the Scrivener: Complete Text with Integrated Study Guide from Shmoop Kindle Edition 664450 $2.99 2009
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street Kindle Edition 652683 2014
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Benito Cereno, Bartleby: The Scrivener, and The Encantadas Kindle Edition 638341 2009
Bartleby, the Scrivener Paperback 7870109 $3.95 2018
Bartleby, the Scrivener A Story of Wall-Street Kindle Edition 476873 2018
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street Paperback 1148507 $8.99 2021
Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville(Annotated) Paperback 1791598 $11.99 2022
Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener and Benito Cereno (Cliffs Notes) Paperback 1083231 $8.98 $0.01 1992
Bartleby The Scrivener (Illustrated) Kindle Edition 764365 2014
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street Kindle Edition 316088 2014
Bartleby the Scrivener (Tale Blazers) Paperback 876277 $0.92 $0.01
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street (My Favorited Illustrated) Kindle Edition 2436455 2017
Bartleby The Scrivener Hardcover 3171428 $22.87 $17.50 2010
Bartleby, the Scrivener Paperback 1246013 $3.99 2015
Bartleby the Scrivener: The Premier Annotated Edition Paperback 890298 $11.99 2022
Bartleby, the Scrivener: (Annotated) (Editor's Selection) Paperback 1325707 $3.89 2018
Bartleby, The Scrivener Paperback 431931 $6.17 2016
Bartleby the Scrivener (Annotated Edition) Kindle Edition 707327 2013
Bartleby, the Scrivener Illustrated Paperback 434457 $7.99 2021
Bartleby the Scrivener Illustrated Paperback 454926 $11.58 2021
Bartleby the Scrivener and Other Stories Audible Audio Edition 63909 $11.95 2006
Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street Hardcover 1087621 $15.00 $1.45 1997
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street Kindle Edition 108639 2016
Bartleby, The Scrivener Paperback 7106163 $8.54 $29.95 2009
Bartleby, the Scrivener (Annotated): A Story of Wall-Street Kindle Edition 609363 2016
Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville(Annotated) Kindle Edition 499591 $3.95 2022
Bartleby, The Scrivener by Herman Melville :Illustrated Edition Kindle Edition 731688 $3.99 2022
Bartleby The Scrivener Paperback 1161863 $7.58 2017
Bartleby, The ScrivenerA Story of Wall-Street Kindle Edition 159380 2013
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Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville Paperback 957461 $4.99 2017
Bartleby, the Scrivener Kindle Edition 1289733 $4.75 2013
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Bartleby, The Scrivener: Herman Melville (Literature, Short Stories, Classics) [Annotated] Kindle Edition 706126 $2.99 2022
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street Kindle Edition 180529 2018
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Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street (Hardcover) Hardcover 1810699 $23.94 2018
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Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street Paperback 150886 $8.66 $5.50 2013
Bartleby, The Scrivener (Illustrated) Kindle Edition 702884 2017
Bartleby, the Scrivener-Classic Edition(Annotated) Kindle Edition 952872 $2.99 2021
Herman Melville: The Complete Collection: Moby Dick ;The Piazza Tales;Bartleby, the Scrivener Kindle Edition 310210 $4.25 2020
Bartleby the Scrivener Kindle Edition 1008286 $4.99 2017
Bartleby, the Scrivener Audible Audiobook 129425 $0.95 2011
Bartleby, the Scrivener: The Scrivener, and The Encantadas Kindle Edition 889574 $0.99 2004
Bartleby, The Scrivener A Story of Wall-Street Paperback 78662 $3.99 2017
Bartleby, the Scrivener Audible Audiobook 239302 $6.95 2017
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street (Annotated) (Literature Disguised as Fun) Paperback 1341609 $6.99 2022
Bartleby the Scrivener Illustrated Kindle Edition 174580 $0.99 2021
Bartleby, the Scrivener Paperback 442895 $5.99 2019
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street Kindle Edition 556561 2017
Bartleby, the Scrivener & Other Stories: The Piazza Tales, Short Stories of Herman Melville (Annotated) Kindle Edition 461561 $2.99 2022
Bartleby the Scrivener Complete Illustrated and Unabridged Edition Kindle Edition 463866 $1.99 2022
Bartleby, The Scrivener by Herman Melville illustrated Kindle Edition 553721 $2.99 2022
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Bartleby, the Scrivener (Dodo Press) Paperback 834606 $6.32 $4.99 2006
Bartleby, The Scrivener by Herman Melville illustrated Kindle Edition 707258 $3.99 2022
Bartleby, The Scrivener: Herman Melville (Literature, Classics) [Annotated] Kindle Edition 1007076 $2.99 2022
Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street (The Art of the Novella series) by Melville, Herman published by Melville House (2004) Paperback 772414 $21.67 $7.69 2004
Bartleby, The Scrivener : A Story of Wall-Street Paperback 1361618 $4.36 $0.46 2009
Bartleby, The Scrivener: Herman Melville (Literature, Classics, Short Story) [Annotated] Kindle Edition 561990 $2.98 2021
Bartleby, the Scrivener: By Herman Melville : Illustrated Paperback 1862599 $5.29 2016
Bartleby the Scrivener and other Stories: The Lightning-Rod Man, The Bell-Tower MP3 CD 939867 $4.64 $6.15 2016
Bartleby, the Scrivener (Illustrated) Kindle Edition 4830886 $2.77 2022
Benito Cereno, Bartleby: The Scrivener, and The Encantadas Paperback 544202 $12.10 $5.95 2005
Bartleby, the Scrivener: Black Illustrated Classics (Bonus Free Audiobook) Kindle Edition 327794 2015
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street by Herman Melville Paperback 879560 $6.98 2018