The Confidence-Man

<p><I>The Confidence-Man</I> (1857) is a novel by American writer Herman Melville. After the failure of his novels <I>Moby-Dick</I> (1851) and </I>Pierre: or The Ambiguities</I> (1852) Melville struggled to find a publisher who would accept his work. When it was published <I>The Confidence-Man</I> was seen as a flawed unnecessarily complicated novel and beyond several collections of poetry it all but ended Melville's career as a professional writer. When Melville's work was reappraised in the 1920s however scholars recognized his status as one of nineteenth century America's finest literary voices. A keen visionary Melville's satirical outlook and pessimistic sense of American morality drive the fragmented narrative of <I>The Confidence-Man</I> his final most complicated and perhaps most rewarding novel.</p><p>In St. Louis a mute man dressed in cream colored clothes boards a riverboat bound for New Orleans. On the journey down the Mississippi a cast of characters at once bizarre and commonplace passes the time playing cards engaging in conversation and attempting to gain one another's trust. A crippled African American beggar faces disbelief when he speaks of his life on the streets. A young and na��ve student idolizes wealthy men and hopes to make a fortune by investing in stocks. A man in a gray suit asks his fellow passengers to donate to a suspicious charity. As the boat sails on it becomes increasingly clear that while confidence is easily purchased honesty remains the rarest of commodities. Set and published on April Fool's Day <I>The Confidence-Man</I> is a satire of American life that explores with unsparing pessimism themes of religion identity morality and the role of money in everyday life.</p><p>With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript this edition of Herman Melville's <I>The Confidence-Man</I> is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.</p>