Melville's continuing adventures in the South Seas Following the commercial and critical
success of Typee Herman Melville continued his series of South Sea adventure-romances with
Omoo. Named after the Polynesian term for a rover or someone who roams from island to island
Omoo chronicles the tumultuous events aboard a South Sea whaling vessel and is based on
Melville's personal experiences as a crew member on a ship sailing the Pacific. From recruiting
among the natives for sailors to handling deserters and even mutiny Melville gives a
first-person account of life as a sailor during the nineteenth century filled with colorful
characters and vivid descriptions of the far-flung locales of Polynesia. For more than seventy
years Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking
world. With more than 1 700 titles Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best
works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide
authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and
contemporary authors as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
