Herman Melville was an 18th century American novelist, poet, essayist and short story writer. He is best known for his works Moby Dick and Typee. During his lifetime he was considered a failure, but after his death his worth as a writer was recognized. Based on the author's experience, the novel presents an intriguing documentary of Navy life in the 1840s aboard the U.S. frigate, the "Neversink." The ship is returning from Japan past Cape Horn and the Atlantic coast. In realistic detail, Melville reveals his distaste for the brutal and inhuman practices of the officers during the voyage from Hawaii to the Atlantic coast.
