Billy Budd and Other Stories is a collection of author Herman Melville’s most remarkable short stories. In the titular story, unfinished at the time of the author’s death, Billy Budd’s life takes an unexpected turn when he is pressed into service in the Royal Navy, and runs afoul of the jealous master-at-arms as the result of a rash, though sorely provoked, act. This collection also includes “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” “The Encantadas,” and “The Piazza,” among others. Now considered to be a master-storyteller, Herman Melville’s work was poorly received during his lifetime. He is one of the most studied novelists in English literature, and was the first writer to be collected and published by the Library of America. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

`Truth uncompromisingly told will always have its ragged edges.' So wrote Melville of Billy Budd, Sailor, among the greatest of his works and, in its richness and ambiguity, among the most problematic. As the critic E. L. Grant Watson writes, `In this short history of the impressment and hanging of a handsome sailor-boy are to be discovered problems as profound as those which puzzle us in the pages of the Gospels.' Outwardly a compelling narrative of events aboard a British man-of-war during the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars, Billy Budd, Sailor is a nautical recasting of the Fall, a parable of good and evil, a meditation on justice and political governance, and a searching portrait of three extraordinary men. The passion it has aroused in its readers over the years is a measure of how deeply it addresses some of the fundamental questions of experience that every age must reexamine for itself. The selection in this volume represents the best of Melville's shorter fiction, and uses the most authoritative texts. The eight shorter tales included here were composed during Melville's years as a magazine writer in the mid 1850's and establish him, along with Hawthorne and Poe, as the greatest American story writer of his age. Several of the tales - Bartleby the Scrivener, Benito Cereno, The Encantadas, The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids - are acknowledged masterpieces of their genres. All show Melville a master of irony, point-of-view, and tone whose fables ripple out in nearly endless circles of meaning. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate "reader friendly" type sizes have been chosen for each title--offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. This edition of Billy Budd includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by James Gunn. Aboard the warship Bellipotent, the young orphan Billy Budd was called the handsome sailor. Billy was tall, athletic, noble looking; he was friendly, innocent, helpful and ever-cheerful. He was a fierce fighter and a loyal friend. All the men and officers liked him... All but one: Master-at-Arms Claggart. Envious, petty Claggart plotted to make Billy's life miserable. But when a fear of mutinies swept through the fleet, Claggart realized he could do more than just torment the Handsome Sailor...He could frame Billy Budd for treason... At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A master of the american short story Included in this rich collection are: The Piazza, Bartleby the Scrivener, Benito Cereno, The Lightning-Rod Man, The Encantadas, The Bell-Tower, and The Town-Ho's Story.

Seven stories deal with a slave rebellion, an obstinate copyist, an accidental murder, a voyage to the Galapagos Islands, and a bachelors' dinner party

The 18th century is a turbulent time for the British Royal Navy, with several mutinies following each other and the looming French Navy on the horizon. Young Billy Budd is pressed into naval service against will, with his innocence and charm belying the harsh realities of life at sea. The good-natured and physically impressive Billy quickly becomes the embodiment of both admiration and envy among the crew. As the narrative unfolds, Billy’s moral integrity clashes with the strict and unforgiving naval code, leading to a tragic confrontation with the conflicted master-at-arms, John Claggart. Herman Melville crafts a gripping tale that explores the complexities of morality, justice, and the inherent tensions between the individual and the institution. HERMAN MELVILLE [1819-1891] was an American poet and novelist. Melville was not popular during his own lifetime and largely forgotten upon his death, however, during the 20th century his work was rediscovered and his novel Moby-Dick [1851] is today considered one of the great American novels.

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'Struck dead by an angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!' It is the end of the eighteenth century, and the navy recruits the eponymous hero - the 'Handsome Sailor' - to its fleet. Accused of mutinous behaviour, Billy Budd is forced to defend himself, but his fearful, silent response soon gives way to a terrible act of violence. The consequences are disastrous, and nothing can prevent the force of judgment and eventual justice upon him. Discovered among Melville's papers after his death and published posthumously in 1924, 'Billy Budd' is a powerful tale of guilt and innocence, crime and punishment, and the cost of adhering to duty. From the author of 'Moby Dick', Melville's allegorical tales are loaded with symbolism, and showcase his distinctive writing style and themes in shorter form.