This lovely hardcover is a near fine 1954 Book Club Edition published by Farrar, Straus & Young. The original dust jacket remains in good condition, while the book itself, bound in red cloth, is immaculate and pristine. The story follows Homer Whitman, a young sailor from Maine who, in 1796, sets out to escape a failed romance. His journey takes him through a series of adventures in Malta, Tripoli, and the Sudan. Captured by Barbary pirates, Homer endures eighteen years of enslavement in Africa before discovering gold—wealth he ultimately uses to repay a longstanding debt.