Melville wrote of some of his earliest experiences at sea in the story of Wellingborough Redburn, a wet-behind-the-ears youngster whose head was filled with dreams of foreign travel and adventure. In Redburn, the protagonist enlists for a stint as a seaman aboard Highlander, a merchant ship running between New York and London. As with many of Melville's works, this one is as much about class and race as it is about the sea.

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I. HOW WELLINGBOROUGH REDBURN'S TASTE FOR THE SEA WAS BORN AND BRED IN HIM II. REDBURN'S DEPARTURE FROM HOME III. HE ARRIVES IN TOWN IV. HOW HE DISPOSED OF HIS FOWLING PIECE V. HE PURCHASES HIS SEA WARDROBE, AND ON A DISMAL RAINY DAY PICKS UP HIS BOARD AND LODGING ALONG THE WHARVES VI. HE IS INITIATED IN THE BUSINESS OF CLEANING OUT THE PIG PEN, AND SLUSHING DOWN THE TOP MAST VII. HE GETS TO SEA AND FEELS VERY BAD VIII. HE IS PUT INTO THE LARBOARD WATCH; GETS SEA SICK; AND RELATES SOME OTHER OF HIS EXPERIENCES IX. THE SAILORS BECOMING A LITTLE SOCIAL, REDBURN CONVERSES WITH THEM X. HE IS VERY MUCH FRIGHTENED; THE SAILORS ABUSE HIM; AND HE BECOMES MISERABLE AND FORLORN XI. HE HELPS WASH THE DECKS, AND THEN GOES TO BREAKFAST XII. HE GIVES SOME ACCOUNT OF ONE OF HIS SHIPMATES CALLED JACKSON XIII. HE HAS A FINE DAY AT SEA, BEGINS TO LIKE IT; BUT CHANGES HIS MIND XIV. HE CONTEMPLATES MAKING A SOCIAL CALL ON THE CAPTAIN IN HIS CABIN XV... Continue reading book >>