Moby-Dick; or, The Whale (1851)


Got a whale of a tale to tell ya lad…

For those who are forced to read this tome in school…it is drudgery.  It’s not the great American novel, but Moby Dick is one of the greatest contributions to American literature.  Melville wove his fictional tale around the very real tragedy of the whaleship Essex, and American whaler that was rammed and sunk by a very angry sperm whale.  It is a long and tedious book…and I can see why many a high school student has been defeated and gave up on this “white whale”.  Nevertheless, should you wish to try and attempt to “harpoon the thing once again”…here’s a first edition…or two…