# Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville

4 Hacker News commenters recommended Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend this short story for its prophetic quality and its strong craft; it is a short, rewarding read.

## Why people recommend it

- Prophetic and insightful work (1 comments): "Bartleby, the Scrivener is an incredibly prophetic work" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48975054))
- Very good story (1 comments): "Melville's "Bartleby" is very good" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098592))
- Enjoyable, memorable story (1 comments): "Loved that Bartley story." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45974459))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Last Question by Isaac Asimov](https://hackerapproved.com/p/last-question.md): 50 recommend
- [There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury](https://hackerapproved.com/p/there-will-come-soft-rains.md): 27 recommend
- [They're Made Out of Meat by Terry Bisson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/they-re-made-out-of-meat.md): 17 recommend
- [Lena by qntm](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lena.md): 16 recommend
- [The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster](https://hackerapproved.com/p/machine-stops.md): 15 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920967?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780061920967) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville", https://hackerapproved.com/p/bartleby-the-scrivener/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).