This book came out a few years ago, and focuses on the time that Melville lived in the Berkshires near Pittsfield. Melville had a long relationship with the area that went back to his childhood. But the main point of the book is the 'affair' that he had with a local wealthy married women. This is at the time when he was writing what woudl be Moby Dick. He was a fairly well known author at this time, though not wildly successful. This book does track his life through to his death, and touches on the outcome of publishing Moby Dick and the fact that when published it was not a success. Like with Poe it was long after his death the Moby Dick was rediscovered and became the classic novel of American literature.
