Herman Melville's final short novel, Billy Budd, which was published posthumously in 1924, has evoked considerable critical attention. The much-revised manuscript that Melville left at his death made transcription difficult, so the earliest editions of the novel differ markedly from the standard transcription established in 1962. Interpretations of individual characters and the overall meaning of the novel differ even more significantly. This book is composed of essays which address the text, plot, and controversial characters; essays which reveal the history of competing interpretations of the novel; and contemporary essays focused on central themes and issues.