Herman Melville's Israel Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile is a mid-19th-century novel that tells the story of Israel Potter, a patriotic American soldier who, during the Revolutionary War, finds himself exiled in England for decades. The novel delves into themes of identity, freedom, and the harsh realities of war and exile.
The story begins by describing Israel Potter’s birthplace in the rugged landscapes of Berkshire, Massachusetts. The natural beauty of the area is contrasted with the hardships that lie ahead for him. While Israel’s childhood is marked by a sense of joy in nature, he also faces familial conflicts and unrequited love, ultimately leading him to leave home in search of greater opportunities. His journey begins with youthful adventures that take him into the heart of the Revolutionary War, setting him on a path filled with personal and national struggles, and a longing to one day return home.

DEDICATION TO HIS HIGHNESS THE Bunker-Hill Monument

CHAPTER I. THE BIRTHPLACE OF ISRAEL.
CHAPTER II. THE YOUTHFUL ADVENTURES OF ISRAEL.
CHAPTER III. ISRAEL GOES TO THE WARS; AND REACHING BUNKER HILL IN TIME TO BE OF SERVICE THERE, SOON AFTER IS FORCED TO EXTEND HIS TRAVELS ACROSS THE SEA INTO THE ENEMY’S LAND.
CHAPTER IV. FURTHER WANDERINGS OF THE REFUGEE, WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF A GOOD KNIGHT OF BRENTFORD WHO BEFRIENDED HIM.
CHAPTER V. ISRAEL IN THE LION’S DEN.
CHAPTER VI. ISRAEL MAKES THE ACQUAINTANCE OF CERTAIN SECRET FRIENDS OF AMERICA, ONE OF THEM BEING THE FAMOUS AUTHOR OF THE “DIVERSIONS OF PURLEY,” THESE DESPATCH HIM ON A SLY ERRAND ACROSS THE CHANNEL.
CHAPTER VII. AFTER A CURIOUS ADVENTURE UPON THE PONT NEUF, ISRAEL ENTERS THE PRESENCE OF THE RENOWNED SAGE, DR. FRANKLIN, WHOM HE FINDS RIGHT LEARNEDLY AND MULTIFARIOUSLY EMPLOYED.
CHAPTER VIII. WHICH HAS SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT DR. FRANKLIN AND THE LATIN QUARTER.
CHAPTER IX. ISRAEL IS INITIATED INTO THE MYSTERIES OF LODGING-HOUSES IN THE LATIN QUARTER.
CHAPTER X. ANOTHER ADVENTURER APPEARS UPON THE SCENE.
CHAPTER XI. PAUL JONES IN A REVERIE.
CHAPTER XII. RECROSSING THE CHANNEL, ISRAEL RETURNS TO THE SQUIRE’S ABODE?HIS ADVENTURES THERE.
CHAPTER XIII. HIS ESCAPE FROM THE HOUSE, WITH VARIOUS ADVENTURES FOLLOWING.
CHAPTER XIV. IN WHICH ISRAEL IS SAILOR UNDER TWO FLAGS, AND IN THREE SHIPS, AND ALL IN ONE NIGHT.
CHAPTER XV. THEY SAIL AS FAR AS THE CRAG OF AILSA.
CHAPTER XVI. THEY LOOK IN AT CARRICKFERGUS, AND DESCEND ON WHITEHAVEN.
CHAPTER XVII. THEY CALL AT THE EARL OF SELKIRK’S, AND AFTERWARDS FIGHT THE SHIP-OF-WAR DRAKE.
“JOHN PAUL JONES.”
CHAPTER XVIII. THE EXPEDITION THAT SAILED FROM GROIX.
CHAPTER XIX. THEY FIGHT THE SERAPIS.
CHAPTER XX. THE SHUTTLE.
CHAPTER XXI. SAMSON AMONG THE PHILISTINES.
CHAPTER XXII. SOMETHING FURTHER OF ETHAN ALLEN; WITH ISRAEL’S FLIGHT TOWARDS THE WILDERNESS.
CHAPTER XXIII. ISRAEL IN EGYPT.
CHAPTER XXIV. CONTINUED.
CHAPTER XXV. IN THE CITY OF DIS.
CHAPTER XXVI. FORTY-FIVE YEARS.
CHAPTER XXVII. REQUIESCAT IN PACE.
“BUNKER-HILL 1775. GLORY TO THE HEROES THAT FOUGHT!”