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A deeply influential novel from one of America's greatest authors, White-Jacket presents a view of life aboard a 19th-century navy ship that is equal parts humorous and sobering. Published a year before his masterpiece Moby-Dick, White-Jacket is based on Herman Melville's own experiences aboard the USS United States from 1843 to 1844.

This is a tale based on Melville's experiences aboard the USS United States from 1843 to 1844. It comments on the harsh and brutal realities of service in the US Navy at that time, but beyond this the narrator has created for the reader graphic symbols for class distinction, segregation and slavery aboard this microcosm of the world, the USS Neversink. (Introduction by James K. White)

Herman Melville, born in 1819 in New York City, led a life filled with adventure, literary exploration, and contemplation. His early experiences as a sailor aboard whaling ships provided the inspiration for his most famous work, "Moby-Dick," a literary masterpiece that would later secure his place in literary history. Melville's writings delve into profound themes such as obsession, the human condition, morality, and the conflict between man and nature.