Billy Budd and Other Tales

This volume gathers Melville's short fiction, with the late novella Billy Budd, Sailor as its centrepiece. Billy Budd is set aboard a British warship in the 1790s, during a time of war and fear of mutiny. It centres on a young, well-liked sailor and the officers around him, and explores innocence, law and authority.

The other tales in such collections show Melville's range, from sea stories to sketches of society. Billy Budd was left unfinished at his death and published only decades later, and it is often read as his final reflection on justice.