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Redburn. His First Voyage

Herman Melville

His First Voyage" by Herman Melville is a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1849.

"Redburn. His First Voyage" by Herman Melville is a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1849.

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“Wellingborough, as you are going to sea, suppose you take this shooting-jacket of mine along; it’s just the thing—take it, it will save the expense of another. You see, it’s quite warm; fine long skirts, stout horn buttons, and plenty of pockets.”

Out of the goodness and simplicity of his heart, thus spoke my elder brother to me, upon the eve of my departure for the seaport.

“And, Wellingborough,” he added, “since we are both short of money, and you want an outfit, and I Have none to give, you may as well take my fowling-piece along, and sell it in New York for what you can get.—Nay, take it; it’s of no use to me now; I can’t find it in powder any more.”

I was then but a boy. Some time previous my mother had removed from New York to a pleasant village on the Hudson River, where we lived in a small house, in a quiet way. Sad disappointments in several plans which I had sketched for my future life; the necessity of doing something for myself, united to a naturally roving disposition, had now conspired within me, to send me to sea as a sailor.

For months previous I had been poring over old New York papers, delightedly perusing the long columns of ship advertisements, all of which possessed a strange, romantic charm to me. Over and over again I devoured such announcements as the following:

Contents

  1. 01Chapter I. How Wellingborough Redburn’s Taste for the Sea Was Born and Bred in Him
  2. 02Chapter II. Redburn’s Departure from Home
  3. 03Chapter III. He Arrives in Town
  4. 04Chapter IV. How He Disposed of His Fowling-Piece
  5. 05Chapter V. He Purchases His Sea-Wardrobe, and on a Dismal Rainy Day Picks Up His Board and Lodging Along the Wharves
  6. 06Chapter VI. He Is Initiated in the Business of Cleaning Out the Pig-Pen, and Slushing Down the Top-Mast
  7. 07Chapter VII. He Gets to Sea and Feels Very Bad
  8. 08Chapter VIII. He Is Put Into the Larboard Watch; Gets Sea-Sick; and Relates Some Other of His Experiences
  9. 09Chapter IX. The Sailors Becoming a Little Social, Redburn Converses with Them
  10. 10Chapter X. He Is Very Much Frightened; the Sailors Abuse Him; and He Becomes Miserable and Forlorn
  11. 11Chapter XI. He Helps Wash the Decks, and Then Goes to Breakfast
  12. 12Chapter XII. He Gives Some Account of One of His Shipmates Called Jackson
  13. 13Chapter XIII. He Has a Fine Day at Sea, Begins to Like It; but Changes His Mind
  14. 14Chapter XIV. He Contemplates Making a Social Call on the Captain in His Cabin
  15. 15Chapter XV. The Melancholy State of His Wardrobe
  16. 16Chapter XVI. At Dead of Night He Is Sent Up to Loose the Main-Skysail
  17. 17Chapter XVII. The Cook and Steward
  18. 18Chapter XVIII. He Endeavors to Improve His Mind; and Tells of One Blunt and His Dream Book
  19. 19Chapter XIX. A Narrow Escape
  20. 20Chapter XX. In a Fog He Is Set to Work as a Bell-Toller, and Beholds a Herd of Ocean-Elephants
  21. 21Chapter XXI. A Whaleman and a Man-of-War’s-Man
  22. 22Chapter XXII. The Highlander Passes a Wreck
  23. 23Chapter XXIII. An Unaccountable Cabin-Passenger, and a Mysterious Young Lady
  24. 24Chapter XXIV. He Begins to Hop About in the Rigging Like a Saint Jago’s Monkey
  25. 25Chapter XXV. Quarter-Deck Furniture
  26. 26Chapter XXVI. A Sailor a Jack of All Trades
  27. 27Chapter XXVII. He Gets a Peep at Ireland, and at Last Arrives at Liverpool
  28. 28Chapter XXVIII. He Goes to Supper at the Sign of the Baltimore Clipper
  29. 29Chapter XXIX. Redburn Deferentially Discourses Concerning the Prospects of Sailors
  30. 30Chapter XXX. Redburn Grows Intolerably Flat and Stupid Over Some Outlandish Old Guide-Books
  31. 31Chapter XXXI. With His Prosy Old Guide-Book, He Takes a Prosy Stroll Through the Town
  32. 32Chapter XXXII. The Docks
  33. 33Chapter XXXIII. The Salt-Droghers, and German Emigrant Ships
  34. 34Chapter XXXIV. The Irrawaddy
  35. 35Chapter XXXV. Galliots, Coast-of-Guinea-Man, and Floating Chapel
  36. 36Chapter XXXVI. The Old Church of St. Nicholas, and the Dead-House
  37. 37Chapter XXXVII. What Redburn Saw in Launcelott’s-Hey
  38. 38Chapter XXXVIII. The Dock-Wall Beggars
  39. 39Chapter XXXIX. The Booble-Alleys of the Town
  40. 40Chapter XL. Placards, Brass-Jewelers, Truck-Horses, and Steamers
  41. 41Chapter XLI. Redburn Roves About Hither and Thither
  42. 42Chapter XLII. His Adventure with the Cross Old Gentleman
  43. 43Chapter XLIII. He Takes a Delightful Ramble Into the Country; and Makes the Acquaintance of Three Adorable Charmers
  44. 44Chapter XLIV. Redburn Introduces Master Harry Bolton to the Favorable Consideration of the Reader
  45. 45Chapter XLV. Harry Bolton Kidnaps Redburn, and Carries Him Off to London
  46. 46Chapter XLVI. A Mysterious Night in London
  47. 47Chapter XLVII. Homeward Bound
  48. 48Chapter XLVIII. A Living Corpse
  49. 49Chapter XLIX. Carlo
  50. 50Chapter L. Harry Bolton at Sea
  51. 51Chapter LI. The Emigrants
  52. 52Chapter LII. The Emigrants’ Kitchen
  53. 53Chapter LIII. The Horatii and Curiatii
  54. 54Chapter LIV. Some Superior Old Nail-Rod and Pig-Tail
  55. 55Chapter LV. Drawing Nigh to the Last Scene in Jackson’s Career
  56. 56Chapter LVI. Under the Lee of the Long-Boat, Redburn and Harry Hold Confidential Communion
  57. 57Chapter LVII. Almost a Famine
  58. 58Chapter LVIII. Though the Highlander Puts Into No Harbor as Yet; She Here and There Leaves Many of Her Passengers Behind
  59. 59Chapter LIX. The Last End of Jackson
  60. 60Chapter LX. Home at Last

About this edition

Author
Herman Melville
Era
Modern (c. 1800–1945)
Reading level
Intermediate: some philosophy helps
Formats
EPUB, PDF
Length
346 pages
This edition
Modern Philosophers