The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Poe found the germ of the story he would develop into ARTHUR GORDON PYM in 1836 in a newspaper account of the shipwreck and subsequent rescue of the two men on board. Published in 1838 this rousing sea adventure follows New England boy Pym who stows away on a whaling ship with its captain's son Augustus. The two boys repeatedly find themselves on the brink of death or discovery and witness many terrifying events including mutiny cannibalism and frantic pursuits. Poe imbued this deliberately popular tale with such allegorical richness biblical imagery and psychological insights that the tale has come to influence writers as various as Melville James Verne and Nabokov.<br><br>For more than seventy years Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1700 titles Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.