White-Jacket

White-Jacket (1850) is an adventure novel by American writer Herman Melville. Based on the authors personal experience as a seaman in the United States NavyMelville spent fourteen months aboard the USS United Statesthe novel was both commercially successful and influential for reforming US Naval policy. Following its publication, and aided by advocacy from journalists and politicians, flogging was banned as a punishment in the navy. The novel is seen as a precursor to Melvilles masterpiece, Moby-Dick (1851), and is often compared to his posthumous novella Billy Budd (1924). White-Jacket is the name given to the novels protagonist, a young seaman who embarks on the USS Neversink hoping for brotherhood and adventure. As he grows accustomed to the duties and indignities of naval life, he becomes the target of ire for most of the crew and officers. His jacket, the only one of its kind on board, not only causes him to stand out, but is a source of constant dangerinsufficient for the cold weather around Cape Horn, difficult to discern from the color of the Neversinks sails, the jacket both defines and dooms the novels hero. Praised for its adventurous narrative and political message, White-Jacket was a critical and commercial success for Melville, enabling him to compose and publish Moby-Dick, an ambitious and complex novel now recognized as among the greatest works of American literature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Herman Melvilles White-Jacket is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.