The Piazza Tales

The Piazza Tales is a collection of short pieces Melville had earlier published in magazines, gathered into a book with a new introductory sketch. It includes Bartleby, the Scrivener, Benito Cereno, and The Encantadas, a set of sketches about the Galapagos Islands.

The tales vary in tone from comic to eerie, and range from a New York law office to remote islands and ships at sea. Together they show Melville's skill at short fiction and his interest in isolation, appearances and moral doubt.