Herman. Melville

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Connecticut

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by Herman Melville, in which Ishmael narrates the monomaniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler Pequod, for revenge on the albino sperm whale Moby Dick, which on a previous voyage destroyed Ahab's ship and severed his leg at the knee. Although the novel was a commercial failure and out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891, its reputation grew immensely during the twentieth century. D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world," and "the greatest book of the sea ever written." Moby-Dick is considered a Great American Novel and an outstanding work of the Romantic period in America and the American Renaissance. "Call me Ishmael" is one of world literature's most famous opening sentences. The product of a year and a half of writing, the book is dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne, "in token of my admiration for his genius," and draws on Melville's experience at sea, on his reading in whaling literature, and on literary inspirations such as Shakespeare and the Bible. The detailed and realistic descriptions of whale hunting and of extracting whale oil, as well as life aboard ship among a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God. In addition to narrative prose, Melville uses styles and literary devices ranging from songs, poetry and catalogs to Shakespearean stage directions, soliloquies and asides. The author changed the title at the very last moment in September 1851. The work first appeared as The Whale in London in October 1851, and then under its definitive title Moby-Dick in New York in November. The whale, however, appears in both the London and New York editions as "Moby Dick," with no hyphen. The British edition of five hundred copies was not reprinted during the author's life, the American of almost three thousand was reprinted three times at approximately 250 copies, the last reprinting in 1871. These figures are exaggerated because three hundred copies were destroyed in a fire at Harper's; only 3,200 copies were actually sold during the author's life.

Moby Dick

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Herman Melville; Larzer Ziff (Introduction by)

Gilt lettering on cover is worn and there is a childish inscription (see pics) but interior is clean with gilt page linings and an attached ribbon bookmark. This is a small sized book perfect for travel or commuting. 

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

New York

On board the whaling ship Pequod a crew of wise men and fools, renegades and seeming phantoms is hurled through treacherous seas by a crazed captain hell-bent on hunting down the mythic White Whale. Melville transforms the little world of the whale-ship into a crucible where mankind’s fears, faith and frailties are pitted against a relentless fate. Teeming with ideas and imagery, and with its extraordinary, compressed intensity sustained by mischievous irony and moments of exquisite beauty, Moby-Dick is both a great American epic and a most profoundly imaginative literary creation. With an afterword by Nigel Cliff. Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautifully bound gift editions of much loved classic titles. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

Moby-Dick

Introduction by Larzer Ziff

The story of Captain Ahab's obssession with the great white whale that crippled him

Category - Fiction / Classics

Format - Paperback

Condition - Like New

Listed - 3 months ago

Views - 8

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Ships From - Connecticut

Est. Publication Date - Nov 2014

Moby Dick

ISBN: 1503280780

Publisher Description

Moby Dick

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Category - Fiction / Classics

Format - Paperback

Condition - Like New

Listed - 3 months ago

Views - 8

Wishes - 1

Ships From - Connecticut

Est. Publication Date - Nov 2014

Moby Dick

ISBN: 1503280780

Publisher Description

Moby Dick

By:

$4.00

Meet the seller

Discover more

Moby-Dick

By: Herman Melville; Larzer Ziff (Introduction by)

Pango Buyer Protection

More from this seller

Additional titles by Herman Melville; Larzer Ziff (Introduction by)

'Moby-Dick' readers also enjoyed:

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