{"id":"01KG8AJS0922980DDG5E7JZCR0","cid":"bafkreie5ro6qns334qezoopb34nabcgxcgahltjva5f6k2zceodqh7s3ia","type":"intro","properties":{"description":"# Introduction to Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities\n\n## Overview\nThis document is the introduction to Herman Melville's novel, \"Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities.\" It is a textual entity extracted from a larger file and is part of a collection of Melville's complete works. The introduction includes the title page, copyright information, and the author's dedication.\n\n## Context\nThe introduction is intrinsically linked to the novel \"[Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities](arke:01KG8AJARZRKSHG3NCKP22CHHW),\" serving as its opening section. It was extracted from the file \"[pierre.txt](arke:01KG89J1JSYKSGCE149MH9HF6A)\" and is cataloged within the \"[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)\" collection. The introduction precedes the table of contents for the novel.\n\n## Contents\nThis introduction contains the title \"Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities,\" the author's name, Herman Melville, and publication details including the publisher, Harper & Brothers, and the publication year, 1852. It also includes the copyright notice for the Southern District of New York. Following this is the dedication, addressed to \"Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty,\" which reflects on the author's connection to the Berkshire region and its natural majesty, particularly Mount Greylock. The dedication is dated from Pittsfield, Mass.","description_generated_at":"2026-01-30T20:50:07.209Z","description_model":"gemini-2.5-flash-lite","description_title":"Introduction to Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities","end_line":53,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:42.408Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Introduction","source_file":"01KG89J1JSYKSGCE149MH9HF6A","start_line":1,"text":"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPIERRE:\r\nOR,\r\nTHE AMBIGUITIES.\r\n\r\nBY\r\nHERMAN MELVILLE.\r\n\r\nNEW YORK:\r\nHARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS\r\n329 & 331 PEARL STREET,\r\nFRANKLIN SQUARE.\r\n1852.\r\n\r\n  Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by\r\n                      HERMAN MELVILLE,\r\n  In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTO\r\n\r\nGreylock's Most Excellent Majesty.\r\n\r\n\r\nIn old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their\r\nworks to Majesty. A right noble custom, which we of Berkshire must\r\nrevive. For whether we will or no, Majesty is all around us here in\r\nBerkshire, sitting as in a grand Congress of Vienna of majestical\r\nhill-tops, and eternally challenging our homage.\r\n\r\nBut since the majestic mountain, Greylock--my own more immediate\r\nsovereign lord and king--hath now, for innumerable ages, been the one\r\ngrand dedicatee of the earliest rays of all the Berkshire mornings, I\r\nknow not how his Imperial Purple Majesty (royal-born: Porphyrogenitus)\r\nwill receive the dedication of my own poor solitary ray.\r\n\r\nNevertheless, forasmuch as I, dwelling with my loyal neighbors, the\r\nMaples and the Beeches, in the amphitheater over which his central\r\nmajesty presides, have received his most bounteous and unstinted\r\nfertilizations, it is but meet, that I here devoutly kneel, and render\r\nup my gratitude, whether, thereto, The Most Excellent Purple Majesty of\r\nGreylock benignantly incline his hoary crown or no.\r\n\r\n_Pittsfield, Mass._\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r","title":"Introduction"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJARZRKSHG3NCKP22CHHW","peer_type":"novel","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1JSYKSGCE149MH9HF6A","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AJS0960Y6CFJ3DBY039XV","peer_type":"toc","predicate":"next"}],"ver":3,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:42.601Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:50:07.414Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF5C36SQEVDHC9CBNZZJH9K"}}