It's hard to believe that anyone who read books in the 19th century didn't
read Typee, the most famous Polynesian adventure of the era.  It's
especially hard to believe, knowing that Twain had to bring himself up to
speed to write about Hawaii.  Moby-Dick is another matter.  So, it's quite
a mystery that there is no evidence of Typee.

Hilton Obenzinger
Stanford University