Book Cover of Billy Budd

Billy Budd

by Herman Melville

Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative) is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed version was finally published in 1924, it quickly took its place as a classic second only to Moby-Dick among Melville's works. Billy Budd is a "handsome sailor" who strikes and inadvertently kills his false accuser, Master-at-arms John Claggart. The ship's Captain, Edward Vere, recognizes Billy's lack of intent, but claims that the law of mutiny requires him to sentence Billy to be hanged.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

English

Published In

1924

Authors

Herman Melville image

Herman Melville

United States

Melville's growing literary ambition showed in Moby-Dick (1851), which took nearly a year and a half to write, but it did not find an audience and critics scorned his psychological novel Pierre: or, T...

Books by Herman Melville

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

The Underground City or the Child of the Cavern  Cover image

The Underground City or the Child of the Cavern by Jules Verne

This novel follows the fortunes of the mining community of Aberfoyle near Stirling, Scotland. Receiving a letter from an old colleague, mining enginee...

Thrill Book Vol. I No. 5, May 1, 1919 Cover image

Thrill Book Vol. I No. 5, May 1, 1919 by Seabury Quinn

This issue of *The Thrill Book* features a collection of short stories spanning genres like adventure, horror, and mystery. Seabury Quinn's chilling...

The Pirate, and The Three Cutters Cover image

The Pirate, and The Three Cutters by Frederick Marryat

It tells the story of a young naval officer, Lieutenant Easy, who finds himself caught up in a battle between pirates and the Royal Navy. Marryat's b...

Schatzinsel Cover image

Schatzinsel by Robert Louis Stevenson

Schatzinsel, originally published in English as Treasure Island, is a classic adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. The story follows the advent...

Miss Cayley's Adventures Cover image

Miss Cayley's Adventures by Grant Allen

Miss Lois Cayley, a spirited and independent woman, embarks on a global adventure. However, her travels are disrupted when her beloved is falsely accu...

Ran Away to Sea Cover image

Ran Away to Sea by Thomas Mayne Reid

Restless and yearning for a life of adventure beyond the idyllic countryside, Frank takes a daring leap of fate, running away to the unpredictable emb...

Mount Royal Volume II Cover image

Mount Royal Volume II by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

The mystery deepens in the Canadian wilderness, as a young woman races to save her half-sister from a dangerous and powerful enemy. In Mount Royal Vo...

The Texan Star Cover image

The Texan Star by Joseph A. Altsheler

In the heart of the untamed Texan frontier, where the line between law and chaos blurs, "The Texan Star" by Joseph A. Altsheler ignites a gripping tal...

Omnilingual Cover image

Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper

An expedition to Mars discovers the remains of an advanced civilization, which died out many thousands of years ago. They recovered books and document...

The Tale of Triona Cover image

The Tale of Triona by William John Locke

It tells the story of a young woman's journey of self-discovery and romance. The book was first published in 1922 and has since become a beloved work...

Reviews for Billy Budd

No reviews posted or approved, yet...