Redburn. His First Voyage
Wellingborough Redburn, a proud but penniless gentleman’s son, signs on to a merchant ship bound for Liverpool expecting adventure and respect. Instead he meets mockery, cruelty, and the harsh realities of life at sea and in the slums of a great port city. Drawn from Melville’s own first voyage, the novel follows a boy’s hard education as his illusions are stripped away one by one. Written quickly for money, Melville dismissed it, yet its vivid scenes of poverty and its tender, wounded narrator have won it lasting admiration. It offers an accessible way into the world of the author of Moby-Dick. Free to download as a PDF or EPUB.
About the Author
Herman Melville (1819–1891) was an American writer who drew heavily from his own experiences as a merchant sailor and whaler in the Pacific. He produced novels, short stories, and poetry that examined moral complexity and the sea, though he remained relatively obscure during his lifetime…
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