Synopses & Reviews
When Ishmael sets sail on the whaling ship Pequod one cold Christmas Day, he is clueless to the horrors that await him on the vast and merciless ocean. The ship's strange captain, Ahab, is in the grip of an obsession to hunt down the famous white whale, Moby Dick, and will stop at nothing on his quest to annihilate his nemesis. Considered a failure during Melvilles lifetime but now hailed as a classic American novel, Ishmaels story combines symbolism and philosophical debate with gripping adventure narrative in an uncanny and unforgettable fashion. An extract from Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex by Owen Chasewhich inspired Melville's own storyis also included.
Review
"A masterpiece." —Guardian
Review
"A great book . . . a deep great artist." —D.H. Lawrence
Review
"The ultimate fish story." —Bob Dylan
Review
"I'm embarking on a 'classics year,' where I'm going to try to read a lot of those books that I know I should have read a long time ago. You know the ones those books that we can all quote from and make references to, even though we've never actually cracked open a copy. I started last year by finally reading Darwin's main books....Then, when I interviewed Stephen Pinker, he mentioned having recently enjoyed Moby-Dick and recommended it to me for the biology aspects. So I made the plunge. And you know what? It went quicker than I expected, and it's got some interesting observations about people beyond the obvious insights about obsession and vengeance. Doug Brown, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)
Synopsis
'The ultimate fish story' Bob Dylan
When Ishmael sets sail on the whaling ship Pequod one cold Christmas Day, he has no idea of the horrors awaiting him out on the vast and merciless ocean. The ship's strange captain, Ahab, is in the grip of an obsession to hunt down the famous white whale, Moby Dick, and will stop at nothing on his quest to annihilate his nemesis.
Synopsis
GB
About the Author
Herman Melville (18191898) is an acclaimed novelist and short story author. His masterpiece Moby Dick (1851) was inspired in part by his short career aboard a whaleship in 1841.