How D. H. Lawrence Read Herman Melville

<i>How Lawrence Read Melville</i> is a highly focused account of D. H. Lawrence's discovery and reception of Herman Melville from when he first read <i>Moby-Dick</i> as a young man to his final references to Melville in his late works. It shows Lawrence's initial reaction to <i>Moby-Dick</i>; how it led him to other works by Melville namely <i>Typee</i> and <i>Omoo</i>; and how Melville affected Lawrence's critical and creative writing and shaped his philosophy.<br/>This book is a study of the creative process that shows how one great writer inspired another but it also makes a major contribution to the history of the book and two of its subfields: the history of reading and reception studies. By his death in 1891 Melville had been forgotten except by a small circle of English enthusiasts. That group put Lawrence onto Melville whereupon he became a - until now largely unacknowledged - leader of the Melville Revival that rescued the great writer from obscurity. This Swiss army knife of a book will appeal to scholars and booklovers alike.<br/><br/>KEVIN J. HAYES Professor Emeritus at the University of Central Oklahoma lives and writes in Toledo Ohio. He is the author of many books on American literature history and culture including <i>At War with The Red Badge of Courage</i> (Camden House) and <i>George Washington A Life in Books</i> for which he received the George Washington Prize.