“I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.”
     --- Ishmael, MOBY-DICK

This is the sense of adventure and worldly desire that fueled Herman Melville through his writing of MOBY-DICK in the winter of 1850. A longtime sailor, built stout and with a heavy beard, Melville had a borderline manic disposition --- the flights of fancy and outright gall that one needed to write such an epic novel. Overdone, enthralling and enormous in length, MOBY-DICK was Melville’s be-all and end-all.

In one of the numerous stories from Michael Shelden’s outstanding MELVILLE IN LOVE, Melville receives a letter from Nathaniel Hawthorne, who offers his views on the book shortly after its release. A literary giant himself, Hawthorne’s praise is enough to give Melville the security that he created a masterpiece. These private thoughts from Hawthorne meant more to Melville at the time than a lot of the reviews that would follow (not all of which were kind).

MELVILLE IN LOVE puts readers in Melville’s world as his iconic novel takes shape. During this time, he uproots his family from New York to the Berkshires, where he settles into a long winter of writing. But to describe what makes Shelden’s book a great read is more difficult. It has the beauty of hindsight and romanticism in its stories --- from Melville acting out and kidnapping a bride as a prank, to an overnight love affair at the top of Mount Greylock --- but also the deep-down madness and passion that only a great love could create.

"MELVILLE IN LOVE puts readers in Melville’s world as his iconic novel takes shape.... Shelden’s main focus is on Sarah Morewood, Melville's muse and secret greatest influence."

Shelden’s main focus is on Sarah Morewood, Melville's muse and secret greatest influence. She is described as a woman who could hike and ride horses while also making masturbation jokes with the men. She is known to be an untamed spirit, affectionate and free-willed, so it’s easy to understand why Melville falls in love with her. Both are married at the time, making their love a forbidden and barbarous sea.

Melville’s wife is Elizabeth Shaw, daughter of the upright Lemuel Shaw, Chief Justice of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The two families are well-connected, and Melville does much of his living off of what Judge Shaw provides them. Sadly, though, Elizabeth is merely an afterthought in Melville’s secluded life with Sarah, who is married to Rowland Morewood, the owner of a firm that specializes in selling bolts and railroad spikes. Neither Melville nor Sarah has money, or really much of anything, yet they find in each other something much deeper: an untamed infidelity that goes beyond love. Through letters and hidden literary references, the two share a romance that is as mythical and ageless as Melville's writing.

While Shelden does delve into Melville’s relationship with Hawthorne --- on more than one occasion, Melville goes overboard when trying to reach out to the reclusive writer --- this is first and foremost a biographical depiction of the affair that develops between Melville and Sarah. Although spoken of very little when talking about Melville and his life and times, Sarah is quintessential. Through the stories that Shelden recounts, it appears that Melville was chasing something greater than life. Catching the white whale meant love, financial success and freedom, which could be all-consuming.

Things change dramatically by the end, but what is hidden between the lines --- in love poems and secret notes between the two --- lives on, as referenced by Melville, who comes across a line in John Dryden’s erotic poem “Sigismonda and Guiscardo” that especially speaks to him: “’Twas restless rage and tempest all the night... Love rioted secure…” This is the defining influence of Sarah Morewood and the special bond they shared with each other.