7 h 27 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does a country owe the ordinary man who fights for it, then struggles far from home?
Israel Potter leaves the rocky Berkshire hills for the American Revolution. At Bunker Hill, the farmer's son faces the heat and confusion of battle. British captivity follows. In Herman Melville's brisk adventure, Potter must find a way through England with no papers, no money, and no friends he can fully trust. Survival now demands more than courage on a battlefield.
His path reaches London, Paris, and the deck of a fighting ship. Benjamin Franklin offers practical advice while keeping his distance; John Paul Jones brings a fierce appetite for battle. Melville sets these famous men beside a stubborn wanderer whose sacrifices carry little glory. Beneath the action, sharp irony exposes the gap between a nation's legends and the people who pay for them.
What you’ll discover
- A soldier far from home Follow a stubborn farm boy through war, captivity, and the struggle to survive in England.
- Famous faces without halos Meet Franklin and Jones through Melville's mocking eye, beyond the familiar glow of national legend.
- The confusion of battle Enter Bunker Hill, where heat and stubborn courage give Potter's fight its weight.
- Adventure with a bitter edge Move from countryside to city to fighting ship, with irony running beneath the action.
- The cost of founding nations Consider what patriotic glory leaves out when an ordinary soldier gives years of his life.
Who will love it
For readers who love historical adventure with a satirical edge, and anyone curious about Melville beyond Moby-Dick.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A farm boy leaves the Berkshire hills
- Bunker Hill makes him a soldier, then a prisoner
- A fugitive in England meets a king
- In Paris, Franklin gives advice and keeps his distance
- At sea with John Paul Jones
- What the story is really about
- How Melville tells it
Who’s who
- Israel PotterA strong, stubborn farm boy from the Berkshire hills who fights for the American cause and struggles to survive far from home.
- Benjamin FranklinThe shrewd American diplomat in Paris, full of practical advice and pleased with his own wisdom.
- John Paul JonesA fierce and daring naval commander whose love of battle draws Potter into the sea war.
- King George the thirdThe British monarch whom Potter meets by chance, shown as mild and curious rather than cruel.
- Ethan AllenThe American fighter who appears in the story as another figure caught up in the war with Britain.
Formats and delivery
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- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 27 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Israel Potter
by Herman Melville · 1855
An American soldier fights to survive in exile as his journey asks what a country owes the men who fought to found it.
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In short
Israel Potter is a novel by Herman Melville, published in 1855 after it first appeared in installments in Putnam's Monthly Magazine. Melville built it from a small true book, a narrative printed in 1824 by a poor old veteran named Israel Potter.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A farm boy leaves the Berkshire hills
The story opens in the Berkshire hills of Massachusetts, where Israel Potter grows up as a farmer's son. Melville gives the place a rough, rocky beauty. The land is hard, and so is the life it offers. Potter is strong, restless and used to working outdoors, and he does not take easily to being told what to do.
His early life is marked by a quarrel and a break from home. He leaves the farm and takes up the rough trades that open to a young man with no money. He hunts, clears land and works at the edge of settled country. Melville treats this wandering as a kind of training, because it teaches Potter to rely on his own hands and his own wits.
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What is Israel Potter about?
It follows an American soldier of the Revolution from Bunker Hill into captivity and exile in England and France. He meets Franklin, John Paul Jones and a king, and the novel asks what the nation owes such a man.
Is Israel Potter a true story?
It is based on a real narrative published in 1824 by a veteran named Israel Potter. Melville added scenes, dialogue and famous characters, so the novel is historical fiction built on a true outline.
When was Israel Potter written?
Melville wrote it in the mid 1850s. It first appeared in installments in Putnam's Monthly Magazine and was published as a book in 1855.
The author
Herman Melville
1819–1891 · American novelist and poet
Herman Melville (1819–1891) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and poet. He was born and died in New York City and also lived in Massachusetts. He published Moby-Dick in 1851, Pierre in 1852, and The Confidence-Man in 1857. His unfinished Billy Budd was published after his death, in 1924.
More by Herman Melville
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