One of Melville’s most popular novels during his lifetime—and the subject of renewed interest in recent decades— White-Jacket is both a brisk sea adventure and a powerful social critique. Based on Melville’s own experiences, it explores the fascinating and often harrowing world of a naval fighting ship, the Neversink . The ship becomes for Melville a microcosm of America itself; its hierarchy, social divisions, and cruel practices suggest larger injustices, including slavery. This Modern Library Paperback Classic reproduces the definitive Northwestern-Newberry Edition.

Publication Year: 1850