Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street by Melville, Herman. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780684819105.

Bartleby the Scrivener (1853), by Herman Melville, tells the story of a quiet, hardworking legal copyist who works in an office in the Wall Street area of New York City. One day Bartleby declines the assignment his employer gives him with the inscrutable "I would prefer not." The utterance of this remark sets off a confounding set of actions and behavior, making the unsettling character of Bartleby one of Melvilles most enigmatic and unforgettable creations.