Erik Hage is an author, critic, and cultural reporter from upstate New York, where he is a professor of Journalism and Communication at the State University of New York at Cobleskill.

“the readings of the novels, especially Moby-Dick, are excellent, and Hage’s prose is graceful and metaphorical”—Choice; “an engaging acutely sensitive study...much to appreciate...thoughtful and thought-provoking...a worthy and appealing study...gracefully written commentary...a welcome guide...a fitting tribute to the enduring fascinations of these towering literary figures.”—Nathaniel Hawthorne Review; “A perceptive and nuanced reading of the friendship between Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville and the importance that this relationship held for both men. Drawing upon an array of sources...Hage returns our attention to key questions about this relationship, not only in terms of its personal aspects, but also as it affected the development of both writers.”—Melissa Pennell (UMass Lowell), author of the Student Companion to Nathaniel Hawthorne and Masterpieces of American Romantic Literature; “The reader is treated to a compelling analysis of each author’s literary influence upon the other, a ‘literary kinship’ that was forged, if not in fire and blood, at least in cigar smoke, brandy, and mutual artistic admiration during 1850–51.”—Randall A. Clack (Wesley University), author of The Marriage of Heaven and Earth: Alchemical Regeneration in the Works of Taylor, Poe, Hawthorne, and Fuller; “Unifies our biographical understanding of the two men’s ‘literary kinship.’ Hage’s in-depth analysis of this influential friendship will appeal to a wide audience because of its readability and insights.”—Sharon Talley (Texas A&M–Corpus Christi), author of Ambrose Bierce and the Dance of Death and the Student Companion to Herman Melville.

• Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments 1One. Friendship; or, The Ambiguities 7Two. The Freshness of Primeval Nature: Monument Mountain and the Mosses 44Three. Loomings; or, Early Lives of the Authors 77Four. Annus Mirabilis; or, The Haunted Mind and the Whale 108Five. Monody 168Chapter Notes 189Bibliography 203Index 207