University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 32, May 22

                   Melville expert to speak June 10
     
     Hershel Parker, H. Fletcher Brown Professor of English,
will present "Herman Melville 1821-1851: Finding a Life in
the Archives" at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 10. His talk, the
University of Delaware Library Associates' annual faculty
lecture, will be held in the Morris Library's Class of 1941
Lecture Room. The event is open to the public by
reservation.
     Parker has published widely and is a nationally
recognized authority on Herman Melville. He is sometimes
called "the dean of Melville." His 941-page book, entitled
Herman Melville: A Biography, Volume 1, 1819-1851, was
published last year by the Johns Hopkins University Press.
It continues to receive acclaim and national attention, with
favorable reviews in The New York Times, Library Journal and
Choice.
     The book also has been the subject of a number of
feature articles in such publications as The New York Times
and Delaware Today.
     "The first volume of Parker's book is unquestionably
the most searching biography ever written on Herman
Melville," Phillip Weiss, contributing writer for The New
York Times Magazine, said. Library Journal described the
book as a "highly detailed, beautifully written and moving
portrait of a great writer."
     A reception will be held in the Morris Library Commons
after the talk.  Open to all who attend the lecture, the
reception also will honor new members of the Library
Associates.
     To request a printed invitation to the lecture, contact
the Office of the Director of Libraries via e-mail at
UDLA@mvs.udel.edu or by telephone at 831-2231.
                                                 Beth Thomas