Raymond Melbourne Weaver was an American literary scholar and academic who served as a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University from 1916 until his death in 1948. An influential educator, Weaver is widely remembered for his pioneering efforts in recovering the legacy of writer Herman Melville, effectively rescuing the nineteenth-century author from relative obscurity.
In 1921, Weaver published Herman Melville: Mariner and Mystic, which stands as the first full-length biography of Melville. Beyond this biographical work, he also edited Melville's writings. Weaver's academic credentials, rigorous training, and persuasive advocacy played a monumental role in launching the "Melville Revival" of the 1920s, a critical movement that established Melville as a central figure in the American literary canon.
Although Weaver was a highly regarded teacher and intellectual, he did not publish another scholarly book after his landmark study on Melville. However, his literary output remained diverse; he published a novel, composed introductions for various editions of American fiction, and wrote numerous book reviews and literary essays throughout his career.
