Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. His first two books gained much attention, though they were not bestsellers, and his popularity declined precipitously only a few years later. By the time of his death he had been almost completely forgotten, but his longest novel, Moby-Dick largely considered a failure during his lifetime, and most responsible for Melville's fall from favor with the reading public was rediscovered in the 20th century as one of the chief literary masterpieces of both American and world literature.This selection specially chosen by the literary critic August Nemo, contains the following stories:Bartleby, the ScrivenerBenito CerenoThe EncantadasThe ChaseCock-A-Doodle-Doo!I and My ChimneyThe Lightning-Rod Man