The Melville Society Cultural Project (MSCP) is a research-oriented group of scholars within the Melville Society dedicated to fostering a critical understanding of Herman Melville’s writings, life, and times.

The Project, in affiliation with the New Bedford Whaling Museum, collects scholarly and artistic texts related to Melville, oversees the Melville Society’s Archive, and contributes to a wide variety of programming at the Whaling Museum and elsewhere. The MSCP seeks to promote public awareness of and appreciation for Melville and his writings and assist other scholars and teachers, as well as educational and cultural institutions, in becoming well-informed about the man and his work. In these roles we take seriously the importance of building partnerships across communities to ensure that the humanities survive and thrive outside the academy.

Melville Society Website
The Melville Electronic Library (MEL)

New Bedford’s museums, libraries, schools, and parks provide a community committed to celebrating whaling and maritime culture. Our joint programs allow scholars, teachers, students, and visitors to explore this internationally acclaimed American writer whose works continue to resonate with our lives today.

The Melville Society Archive is housed at our Reference Room. The MSCP maintains a growing collection of rare editions, scholarly books and papers, and art works.  Donations of other Melville-related books go into the MSCP Book Donation program and get shipped to libraries and schools around the world.