White-Jacket

Herman Melville

• Publisher: Mint Editions
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781513270067
• eBook ISBN: 9781513275062
• Topic: Literatura
• Subtopic: Clásicos

White-Jacket (1850) is an adventure novel by American writer Herman Melville. Based on the author's personal experience as a seaman in the United States Navy—Melville spent fourteen months aboard the USS United States —the 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 Melville's masterpiece, Moby-Dick (1851), and is often compared to his posthumous novella Billy Budd (1924).

White-Jacket is the name given to the novel's 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 danger—insufficient for the cold weather around Cape Horn, difficult to discern from the color of the Neversink's sails, the jacket both defines and dooms the novel's 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.

This edition of Herman Melville's White-Jacket is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• I. The Jacket
• II. Homeward Bound
• III. A Glance at the principal Divisions, into Which a Man-of-war’s Crew is Divided
• IV. Jack Chase
• V. Jack Chase on a Spanish Quarter-deck
• VI. The Quarter-deck Officers, Warrant Officers, and Berth-deck Underlings of a Man-of-war; where they Live in the Ship; how they Live; their Social Standing on Ship-board; and what sort of Gentlemen they are
• VII. Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper
• VIII. Selvagee contrasted with Mad-jack
• IX. Of the Pockets that were in the Jacket
• X. From Pockets to Pickpockets
• XI. The Pursuit of Poetry under Difficulties
• XII. The Good or Bad Temper of Men-of-war’s Men, in a Great Degree, attributable to their Particular Stations and Duties aboard Ship
• XIII. A Man-of-war Hermit in a Mob
• XIV. A Draught in a Man-of-war
• XV. A Salt-Junk Club in a Man-of-war, with a Notice to Quit
• XVI. General Training in a Man-of-war
• XVII. Away! Second, Third, and Fourth Cutters, Away!
• XVIII. A Man-of-war Full as a Nut
• XIX. The Jacket aloft
• XX. How they Sleep in a Man-of-war
• XXI. One Reason why Men-of-war’s Men are, generally, Short-lived
• XXII. Wash-day and House-cleaning in a Man-of-war
• XXIII. Theatricals in a Man-of-war
• XXIV. Introductory to Cape Horn
• XXV. The Dog-days off Cape Horn
• XXVI. The Pitch of the Cape
• XXVII. Some Thoughts growing out of Mad Jack’s Countermanding his Superior’s Order
• XXVIII. Edging Away
• XXIX. The Night-watches
• XXX. A Peep through a Port-hole at the Subterranean Parts of a Man-of-war
• XXXI. The Gunner under Hatches
• XXXII. A Dish of Dunderfunk
• XXXIII. A Flogging
• XXXIV. Some of the Evil Effects of Flogging
• XXXV. Flogging not Lawful
• XXXVI. Flogging not Necessary
• XXXVII. Some Superior Old “London Dock” from the Wine-Coolers of Neptune
• XXXVIII. The Chaplain and Chapel in a Man-of-war
• XXXIX. The Frigate in Harbour.—The Boats.—Grand State Reception of the Commodore
• XL. Some of the Ceremonies in a Man-of-war unnecessary and injurious
• XLI. A Man-of-war Library
• XLII. Killing Time in a Man-of-war in Harbour
• XLIII. Smuggling in a Man-of-war
• XLIV. A Knave in Office in a Man-of-war
• XLV. Publishing Poetry in a Man-of-war
• XLVI. The Commodore on the Poop, and one of “the People” under the Hands of the Surgeon
• XLVII. An Auction in a Man-of-war
• XLVIII. Purser, Purser’s Steward, and Postmaster in a Man-of-war
• XLIX. Rumours of a War, and how they were received by the Population of the Neversink
• L. The Bay of all Beauties
• LI. One of “the People” has an Audience with the Commodore and the Captain on the Quarter-deck
• LII. Something Concerning Midshipmen
• LIII. Seafaring Persons peculiarly subject to being under the Weather.— The effects of this upon a Man-of-war Captain
• LIV. “The People” are given “Liberty”
• LV. Midshipmen entering the Navy early
• LVI. A Shore Emperor on Board a Man-of-war
• LVII. The Emperor Reviews the People at Quarters
• LVIII. A Quarter-deck Officer before the Mast
• LIX. A Man-of-war Button divides Two brothers
• LX. A Man-of-war’s-Man Shot at
• LXI. The Surgeon of the Fleet
• LXII. A Consultation of Man-of-war Surgeons
• LXIII. The Operation
• LXIV. Man-of-war Trophies
• LXV. A Man-of-war Race
• LXVI. Fun in a Man-of-war
• LXVII. White-jacket Arraigned at the Mast
• LXVIII. A Man-of-War Fountain, and other Things
• LXIX. Prayers at the Guns
• LXX. Monthly Muster round the Capstan
• LXXI. The Genealogy of the Articles of War
• LXXII. “Herein are the good Ordinances of the Sea…”
• LXXIII. Night and Day Gambling in a Man-of-war
• LXXIV. The Main-top at Night
• LXXV. “Sink, Burn, and Destroy”
• LXXVI. The Chains
• LXXVII. The Hospital in a Man-of-war
• LXXVIII. Dismal Times in the Mess
• LXXIX. How Man-of-war’s-men die at Sea
• LXXX. The Last Stitch
• LXXXI. How they Bury a Man-of-war’s-man at Sea
• LXXXII. What Remains of a Man-of-war’s-man after his Burial at Sea
• LXXXIII. A Man-of-war College
• LXXXIV. Man-of-War Barbers
• LXXXV. The Great Massacre of the Beards
• LXXXVI. The Rebels Brought to the Mast
• LXXXVII. Old Ushant at the Gangway
• LXXXVIII. Flogging through the Fleet
• LXXXIX. The Social State in a Man-of-war
• XC. The Manning of Navies
• XCI. Smoking-club in a Man-of-war, with Scenes on the Gun-deck Drawing near Home
• XCII. The Last of the Jacket
• XCIII. Cable and Anchor all Clear
• The End
• A Note About the Author
• A Note from the Publisher