Sign-In
Cart
Billy Budd: And Other Prose Pieces
Paperback
Classic FictionGeneral FictionLiterary Fiction
ISBN13: 9781025306896
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 410
Weight: 1.26
Height: 0.84 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
BILLY BUDD and Other Prose Pieces presents a significant collection of the shorter works and final literary achievements of Herman Melville. The volume is headlined by the celebrated novella Billy Budd, Sailor, a tragic maritime tale that serves as a profound meditation on the nature of innocence, the persistence of malice, and the harsh realities of legal authority. Set aboard a British naval vessel during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars, the narrative follows the handsome and well-liked Billy Budd, whose unintentional involvement in a fatal confrontation forces Captain Vere to choose between his personal sympathies and the rigid demands of the Mutiny Act.
Complementing this central work is a selection of other prose pieces that showcase Melville's stylistic range and philosophical depth during his later years. These works move beyond the grand scales of his early sea adventures to explore more nuanced, symbolic, and psychological landscapes. Through evocative prose and moral complexity, the collection offers readers an intimate look at a master writer wrestling with the ambiguities of human nature and the societal structures that govern it. This collection is an essential addition to any library of classic American literature, providing vital insight into the enduring legacy of Melville's prose.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
1 different editions
Also available
Also from
Melville, Herman
Moby Dick (Royal Collector's Edition) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Melville, Herman
Hardcover
Moby Dick (LARGE PRINT, Extended Biography): Large Print Edition (Large Print Edition)
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Herman Melville - Clarel - Part II (of IV): "To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom"
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Herman Melville - Clarel - Part I (of IV): "Art is the objectification of feeling"
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Herman Melville Poetry Volume 1: "It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Large Print - Billy Budd, Sailor - Grand Type Collector's Edition - Matte Hardcover with Dust Jacket (Large Print Edition)
Melville, Herman
Hardcover
Herman Melville - Clarel - Part III (of IV): "There is sorrow in the world, but goodness too"
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Herman Melville - Pierre or, The Ambiguities: "Whatever fortune brings, don't be afraid of doing things"
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Herman Melville - Clarel - Part IV (of IV): "There is a touch of divinity even in brutes"
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Herman Melville Poetry 2: "I am, as I am; whether hideous, or handsome, depends upon who is made judge."
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Quiet Rebellion Against Modern Life - A Tale of Isolation, Resistance & Routine (Deluxe Hardbound Edition)
Melville, Herman
Zengerink, Tim
Hardcover
White-Jacket: Or The World In A Man-Of-War: Large Print Edition for a better reading experience
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Bartleby, The Scrivener & The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Moby-Dick: Une aventure maritime épique explorant la quête obsessionnelle du capitaine Achab et le symbolisme du cachalot blanc
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Moby-Dick: An Epic Obsession with a Mythic Whale - A Timeless Journey into Madness and the Sea (Deluxe Hardbound Edition)
Zengerink, Tim
Melville, Herman
Hardcover
The Life and Remarkable Adventures of ISRAEL R. POTTER
Melville, Herman
Kriegel, Leonard
Potter, Israel
Paperback
Redburn: Las pruebas y tribulaciones de Katy Redburn en su lucha por la supervivencia.
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Large Print - Moby Dick, Volume 3 of 3 - Grand Type Collector's Edition - Matte Hardcover with Dust Jacket (Large Print Edition)
Melville, Herman
Hardcover
Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War: A Poetic Reflection on the American Civil War
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Моби Дик: Moby Dick, Bulgarian edition
Melville, Herman
Paperback
מאָבי דיק: Moby Dick, Yiddish edition
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Herman Melville - The Confidence Man: "It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation"
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Herman Melville - Israel Potter: "Friendship at first sight, like love at first sight, is said to be the only truth"
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Herman Melville - Moby Dick or, The Whale: "To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme"
Melville, Herman
Paperback
Also in
General Fiction
Elizabeth Spencer: Novels & Stories (Loa #344): The Voice at the Back Door / The Light in the Piazza / Knights and Dragons / Stories
Spencer, Elizabeth
Hardcover
Anniversaries, Volume 2: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl, April 1968-August 1968
Johnson, Uwe
Paperback
Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose, and Diary Excerpts
Plath, Sylvia
Paperback
Philip Roth: Novels 1967-1972 (Loa #158): When She Was Good / Portnoy's Complaint / Our Gang / The Breast
Roth, Philip
Hardcover
Selected Writings: Robert Musil: Young Torless, Three Women, the Perfecting of a Love, and Other Writings
Agee, Joel
Musil, Robert
Paperback