Toby Greene’s Periodical Depot

Abstract

The present article tells a previously untold story about Herman Melville’s old shipmate, Richard Tobias Greene, who led a varied career after returning home from the Marquesas. He moved to Sandusky, Ohio to continue his career as a telegraph operator and manager, but while in Sandusky, he became interested in selling magazines and established R. T. Greene’s Periodical Depot. Greene worked hard to bring the latest periodicals to Sandusky, helping to foster a lively magazine culture in the city. His public presence behind the counter of his periodical depot gave the local papers the opportunity to mention his name often and recall his role as “Toby of Typee.”