7 h 27 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 27 minPaperback · 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
You will enjoy this if you like adventure with a historical backbone, sea battles, daring escapes, comic meetings with famous men, and thoughtful American storytelling from the author of Moby-Dick.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A soldier keeps trying for home
- An enemy country offers unexpected mercy
- Franklin tempers suspicion with practical sense
- Safety becomes another kind of prison
- Jones turns escape into daring service
- Courage holds two ships together
- A soldier disappears into ordinary labor
- Comedy carries laughter beside loss
- Adventure raises a question about duty
Who’s who
- Israel PotterA Berkshire farm boy, hunter and sailor who fights at Bunker Hill and then struggles to return home through years of capture, flight and exile.
- Benjamin FranklinThe American envoy in Paris, thrifty and shrewd, who receives Israel's secret papers and lectures him kindly on water, boots and honesty.
- Paul JonesA restless, vain and fearless sea captain who raids British coasts and makes Israel his trusted quartermaster.
- Sir John MilletA kindly English knight who gives Israel work and clothes, and promises on his honor never to betray him.
- Squire WoodcockA Brentford gentleman and secret friend of America who hides Israel in a cell in his wall while preparing a message for Paris.
- King George the ThirdThe English monarch who meets Israel in Kew Gardens, guesses he is a Yankee, and promises him safety.
- Ethan AllenA giant Vermont captive, captor of Ticonderoga, who rages and jokes at his guards in Pendennis Castle.
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Israel Potter
by Herman Melville · 1855
A fugitive flees through England, carries secrets to Franklin, and sails with Paul Jones.
Medium level2–5 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What happens to a farm boy from the Berkshire hills who fires on British grenadiers at Bunker Hill, and then spends half a century trying to get home? In Israel Potter, Herman Melville follows one real soldier through prisons, chases, secret errands and sea battles.
Israel Potter at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 20 min3 h 30 min fast, 5 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 62,300 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1855by Herman Melville
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A hill boy leaves home and learns the world
Melville opens with the land, not the man. Eastern Berkshire is high, rocky and lonely, with stone walls built on soil that gave little back. He says no place could suit better as the birthplace of Israel Potter, whose name foretells a long wandering.
At eighteen Israel loves a neighbor's daughter, but his father opposes the match. One July Sunday, while the family is at church, Israel hides a bundle in the woods. He slips out after dark and walks north and west at dawn.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1855
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Melville, Herman. Israel Potter. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/israel-potter.
Melville, H. (2026). Israel Potter. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/israel-potter (Original work published 1855)
Melville, Herman. Israel Potter. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/israel-potter.
@book{melville2026israel,
author = {Melville, Herman},
title = {Israel Potter},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/israel-potter},
note = {First published 1855}
}
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What is Israel Potter about?
It follows a Berkshire farm boy who fights at Bunker Hill, is captured, flees through England, runs secret errands for Franklin, and sails with Paul Jones. Behind the action it asks what a nation owes its common soldiers.
Is Israel Potter a true story?
It is based on the real Israel Potter, whose small printed narrative Melville used as his starting point. Melville added history, dialogue and scenes of his own, so it is historical fiction built on a real life.
Why did Melville dedicate the book to the Bunker Hill Monument?
The joke has a serious edge. The monument honors the nameless soldiers of Bunker Hill, and Melville uses it to point out that Israel Potter, a private there, was never properly honored by the nation he served.
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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