We took a drive to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in order to see Arrowhead Farm – where Melville lived for several years and where he finished his epic Moby Dick. The group that now owns the house opened it especially for us, as have several other groups at other places that we have visited.

The only problem with the place is that I really don’t think that the house looked anything at all like it did when Melville was there. Our tour guide – who was very passionate about her subject and did have many interesting things to tell about Melville – also kept telling us about everything that had been altered since then, and I’m not sure that there was as much of Melville left in that house as one would think.

Our guide was also a bit comical. There were a few items that had been removed from the house by the staff during the off-season for some reason or another, and she was always instantly flabbergasted the moment she realized that they weren’t there. She even tracked down one of the other staff members to inquire about a missing picture.

But the landscape around the place was amazing, though a lot of it was not the same landscape that Melville saw. There were trees near the farmhouse that were huge and absolutely breathtaking. The best part of it, though, was the view of the mountains from the window of what was Melville’s study. They say that the shape of Mt. Greylock reminded him of a whale and was part of the inspiration behind Moby Dick. I don’t know whether or not I believe that – seems to be stretching it a little. But I could certainly see why that landscape could provide a successful and inspirational writing environment. I wouldn’t mind having a view like that some time.