White Jacket or The World in a Man of War

by Herman Melville

Overview

Long before penning Moby-Dick, which many regard as the quintessential American novel, author Herman Melville was captivated by life on the open sea. White Jacket adopts a different perspective, focusing on the brutal treatment that many sailors received at the hands of their superiors. In particular, it has been noted that this novel proved to be instrumental in banning the practice of flogging in several branches of the U.S. military.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781775452218
Publisher:	The Floating Press
Publication date:	04/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	1270L (what's this?)
File size:	632 KB

About the Author

Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick. His first three books gained much contemporary attention (the first, Typee, becoming a bestseller), and after a fast-blooming literary success in the late 1840s, his popularity declined precipitously in the mid-1850s and never recovered during his lifetime. When he died in 1891, he was almost completely forgotten. It was not until the "Melville Revival" in the early 20th century that his work won recognition, especially Moby-Dick, which was hailed as one of the literary masterpieces of both American and world literature. He was the first writer to have his works collected and published by the Library of America.

Date of Birth:

August 1, 1819

Date of Death:

September 28, 1891

Place of Birth:

New York, New York

Place of Death:

New York, New York

Education:

Attended the Albany Academy in Albany, New York, until age 15

Editorial Reviews

"It's terrific to see this in print again, and with a useful appendix as well."—Charles Npravnik, State University of New York at Brockport

"An unusually attractive edition, from the cover design to the print and the generous margins. The author chronology, bibliography, and explanatory notes are all helpful. I also like the size and the feel of this edition."—Donald Coen, Sam Houston State University

"Delighted to have a moderately priced, well annotated edition available again."—Marvin Fisher, Arizona State University

"Excellent! Good, clear type—a much needed new edition."—George F. Day, University of North Iowa

From the Publisher