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Herman Melville

Moby Dick

I would guess that most readers of this review will know the story of Herman Melville's Moby Dick - how Ishmael signs on with the whaling ship Pequod, to find that it's captain, Ahab, only has one whale on his mind. What you may not know is how long the book actually is - nearly 650 pages. Melville is an expert story teller, but sometimes I got the feeling that he was padding out the book just for the sake of it, in particular the long sections giving various facts about whales.

I found it interesting to see that Melville isn't totally pro-whaling - there are points in the book where he recognises it as the killing of intelligent and (mostly) harmless creatures. As the book nears its conclusion we see Melville's skill in his portrail of Ahab's insanity - how he sees that the sensible thing to do would be to give up the chase, but feels that he has no choice in the matter.

If you are planning to read this book then you might be tempted to skip some of the chapters on general whale facts. Alternatively, since the chapters are short and their are a lot of them, the almost poetical style of Melville's writing means that it's the sort of book from which you could read a chapter a day aloud .

Note: You can read Moby Dick at http://www.enotes.com/mobydick-text/

Amazon.com info

Paperback 672 pages
ISBN: 0099511185
Salesrank: 803295
Weight:1.1 lbs

Published: 2008 Random House UK

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Amazon.co.uk info

Paperback 672 pages
ISBN: 0099511185
Salesrank: 56739
Weight:1.1 lbs

Published: 2007 Vintage Classics

Amazon price £4.19

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Amazon.ca info

Paperback 672 pages
ISBN: 0099511185
Salesrank:
Weight:1.1 lbs

Published: 2007 Vintage Classics

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Marketplace:New from CDN$ 4.59:Used from CDN$ 4.00

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Product Description
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 Melville’s lifetime but now hailed as a classic American novel, Ishmael’s 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 Chase—which inspired Melville's own story—is also included.

Product Description

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 Melville’s lifetime but now hailed as a classic American novel, Ishmael’s 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 Chase—which inspired Melville's own story—is also included.

Timeless, Priceless, and all the other lesses *****
Obviously, this is a piece of American literature that no home with any position in academia, or a position as a human being, should be without. This publisher does a good job too. Penguin, Barnes and Noble--they all work hard to bring you the modern library classics, but vintage is still doing it. The never needed to start. Read something of Melville's if you don't have the gusto to read Moby Dick. And try reading it from a savvy publisher.

Timeless, Priceless, and all the other lesses *****

Obviously, this is a piece of American literature that no home with any position in academia, or a position as a human being, should be without.

This publisher does a good job too. Penguin, Barnes and Noble--they all work hard to bring you the modern library classics, but vintage is still doing it. The never needed to start.

Read something of Melville's if you don't have the gusto to read Moby Dick. And try reading it from a savvy publisher.

A difficult book to read ***
I thought I knew the story of "Moby Dick" from films and comics but wanted to read the 'real thing' myself. I found this a very difficult book to read. There are two almost unrelated strands to the story. There is the 'classic' story, narrated by Ishmael, of Captain Ahab's search (for revenge) for the great white whale Moby Dick. And...there is a lenghty intertwined description of the whale anatomy and its psyche and its relationship to man...this I found very hard going. This aspect of the book is never repeated in "popular" versions of the story. Overall, in interestingly written book but definitely not easy reading.

A difficult book to read ***

I thought I knew the story of "Moby Dick" from films and comics but wanted to read the 'real thing' myself.
I found this a very difficult book to read.
There are two almost unrelated strands to the story. There is the 'classic' story, narrated by Ishmael, of Captain Ahab's search (for revenge) for the great white whale Moby Dick. And...there is a lenghty intertwined description of the whale anatomy and its psyche and its relationship to man...this I found very hard going. This aspect of the book is never repeated in "popular" versions of the story.
Overall, in interestingly written book but definitely not easy reading.

Genius *****
The genius of the author is that the very process of reading Moby Dick mirrors the story. This is a book that will stay with me. A "rich" book - I need a break from reading to recover!

Genius *****

The genius of the author is that the very process of reading Moby Dick mirrors the story.
This is a book that will stay with me. A "rich" book - I need a break from reading to recover!

A classic ****
There are moents in this book of pure beuaty, one that springs to mind is when they take the small boat into the frenzy of whales. However it quite often drifts into taxonomy of whales for pages on end. I've heard Melville wrote these challenging moments so that readers of lesser apprecaition didnt rave about the book, not sure I agree with that, sounds like an excuse from lit students.

A classic ****

There are moents in this book of pure beuaty, one that springs to mind is when they take the small boat into the frenzy of whales. However it quite often drifts into taxonomy of whales for pages on end. I've heard Melville wrote these challenging moments so that readers of lesser apprecaition didnt rave about the book, not sure I agree with that, sounds like an excuse from lit students.

Ultimately, really worth the effort ****
I tried to read Moby Dick about 20 years ago and gave up. Recently I was lent Nathaniel Philbrick's factual account of the sinking of 'The Essex' ('In the heart of the sea' - a rivetting read). The demise of the Essex is one of Melville's inspirations for Moby Dick. Inspired and fortified, I had another go at Moby Dick and loved it! Yes, its wordy and for those who's reading is generally from the 20th or 21st century, its mid-19th century parenthetic and verbose style will take some getting used to - but persevere; its a gripping and engaging tale and the language is sometimes like Shakespeare, frequently poetic, and often very amusing. Also, while the long middle section is sometimes an effort, there are frequent references back to the progress of the ship's voyage to keep you engaged and its full of extraordinary information, opinion and philosophy. Try Philbrick as a primer and I believe you'll appreciate Moby!

Ultimately, really worth the effort ****

I tried to read Moby Dick about 20 years ago and gave up.
Recently I was lent Nathaniel Philbrick's factual account of the sinking of 'The Essex' ('In the heart of the sea' - a rivetting read). The demise of the Essex is one of Melville's inspirations for Moby Dick. Inspired and fortified, I had another go at Moby Dick and loved it!
Yes, its wordy and for those who's reading is generally from the 20th or 21st century, its mid-19th century parenthetic and verbose style will take some getting used to - but persevere; its a gripping and engaging tale and the language is sometimes like Shakespeare, frequently poetic, and often very amusing.
Also, while the long middle section is sometimes an effort, there are frequent references back to the progress of the ship's voyage to keep you engaged and its full of extraordinary information, opinion and philosophy.
Try Philbrick as a primer and I believe you'll appreciate Moby!

It made me want to jump ship! **
In my quest to read all the literary classics, I do have to keep reminding myself that just because something is a "classic" I'm not necessarily going to enjoy it. This was certainly the case with Moby Dick. Written in 1850 by a former Whaleman, it follows the story of the monomaniacal Captain Ahab and his ship the Pequod in the relentless pursuit of a fierce white whale - Moby Dick. The story is narrated by Ishmael, a member of the crew who is on his own personal journey of philosophical and spiritual enlightenment. I enjoyed the book up to the point when the Pequod embarked on its journey, then for 400 odd interminable pages Melville presents you with an encyclopaedic account of a whale voyage, going into mind numbingly tedious detail of almost every aspect of the 19th Century whale industry, Cetology, whale mythology, the physiology and phrenology - Ad Nauseum! Moby Dick is a hybrid of a novel and a factual book on Whales. The story is continually interrupted, often at exciting parts, by Melville while he indulges in yet another lengthy description. He's clearly far too close to his subject to be objective, therefore characters and plot are sacrificed for factual detail. It's only really in the last 100 pages that the action really gets going and we see the climax of Ahab's self destructive quest. All in all though, I was relieved to finally finish this book!

It made me want to jump ship! **

In my quest to read all the literary classics, I do have to keep reminding myself that just because something is a "classic" I'm not necessarily going to enjoy it.

This was certainly the case with Moby Dick. Written in 1850 by a former Whaleman, it follows the story of the monomaniacal Captain Ahab and his ship the Pequod in the relentless pursuit of a fierce white whale - Moby Dick. The story is narrated by Ishmael, a member of the crew who is on his own personal journey of philosophical and spiritual enlightenment.

I enjoyed the book up to the point when the Pequod embarked on its journey, then for 400 odd interminable pages Melville presents you with an encyclopaedic account of a whale voyage, going into mind numbingly tedious detail of almost every aspect of the 19th Century whale industry, Cetology, whale mythology, the physiology and phrenology - Ad Nauseum!

Moby Dick is a hybrid of a novel and a factual book on Whales. The story is continually interrupted, often at exciting parts, by Melville while he indulges in yet another lengthy description. He's clearly far too close to his subject to be objective, therefore characters and plot are sacrificed for factual detail. It's only really in the last 100 pages that the action really gets going and we see the climax of Ahab's self destructive quest. All in all though, I was relieved to finally finish this book!

Moby Dick, Including Original Rockwell Kent Drawings *****
Everybody knows about the story of Moby Dick already, so I'll dispense with that part of the review. The reason I bought this book was for the reproductions of every original Rockwell Kent pen and ink drawings from the 1930 Lakeside Press (Chicago) edition of Moby Dick. This edition faithfully reprints every one of Mr. Kent's excellent drawings, even on the original page numbers. Say what you will about Moby Dick, but if you like the drawings of Rockwell Kent, this edition is for you.

Moby Dick, Including Original Rockwell Kent Drawings *****

Everybody knows about the story of Moby Dick already, so I'll dispense with that part of the review. The reason I bought this book was for the reproductions of every original Rockwell Kent pen and ink drawings from the 1930 Lakeside Press (Chicago) edition of Moby Dick. This edition faithfully reprints every one of Mr. Kent's excellent drawings, even on the original page numbers.

Say what you will about Moby Dick, but if you like the drawings of Rockwell Kent, this edition is for you.

a bit drawn out but amazing prose *****
Wow! Every aspiring writer should give this a read...or then again maybe they shouldn't since it may be too depressing to read something this good. Like Joseph Conrad's works, Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness, Moby-Dick is somewhat autobiographical, at least in the sense that Melville took to the high seas in a whaling boat in the middle of his life, prior to writing this. As a high schooler I found this book terribly boring, but now I mainly see it as amazingly well written. Kids probably shouldn't be forced to read classic literature because they generally don't appreciate it. In a sense, the whole novel is one long buildup to the final devastating scene, and perhaps there's some Freudian or other indirect psychological meaning to that layout of the story, but you'll have to find an expert for the correct interpretation. Apparently, Melville wasn't particularly commerically successful in his lifetime, partly because he was unconventional in style and wouldn't crank out mindless rubbish. Billy Budd is also certainly worth reading again. In summary, Moby-Dick should be required reading for every adult! Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

a bit drawn out but amazing prose *****

Wow! Every aspiring writer should give this a read...or then again maybe they shouldn't since it may be too depressing to read something this good. Like Joseph Conrad's works, Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness, Moby-Dick is somewhat autobiographical, at least in the sense that Melville took to the high seas in a whaling boat in the middle of his life, prior to writing this. As a high schooler I found this book terribly boring, but now I mainly see it as amazingly well written. Kids probably shouldn't be forced to read classic literature because they generally don't appreciate it. In a sense, the whole novel is one long buildup to the final devastating scene, and perhaps there's some Freudian or other indirect psychological meaning to that layout of the story, but you'll have to find an expert for the correct interpretation. Apparently, Melville wasn't particularly commerically successful in his lifetime, partly because he was unconventional in style and wouldn't crank out mindless rubbish. Billy Budd is also certainly worth reading again. In summary, Moby-Dick should be required reading for every adult! Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Should be Read Once ****
I made my mind to read Moby Dick after reading Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. I did enjoy reading it overall, but I have to confess that at times I had to force myself to keep going, and also that I glanced over a few chapters without - I think - missing too much of the overall plot. If you are planning to read this book just keep in mind that the language, although beautiful, has a much slower flow than that of a more contemporary book. Melville has quite insightful and philosophical passages, and from a historical perspective this is an extremely rich book. The information on whaling and the economic importance of it during that period is remarkable - quite a resource for anyone doing research on the subject, or merely curious about it. But, if I had to summarize it in a few words, it is a book about men facing their demons, and as such, it is a timeless book. Would I read again? Probably not, but I do feel it is a book that deserves to be read at least once.

Should be Read Once ****

I made my mind to read Moby Dick after reading Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. I did enjoy reading it overall, but I have to confess that at times I had to force myself to keep going, and also that I glanced over a few chapters without - I think - missing too much of the overall plot.

If you are planning to read this book just keep in mind that the language, although beautiful, has a much slower flow than that of a more contemporary book. Melville has quite insightful and philosophical passages, and from a historical perspective this is an extremely rich book. The information on whaling and the economic importance of it during that period is remarkable - quite a resource for anyone doing research on the subject, or merely curious about it.

But, if I had to summarize it in a few words, it is a book about men facing their demons, and as such, it is a timeless book.

Would I read again? Probably not, but I do feel it is a book that deserves to be read at least once.

Horizon, witness distance. Paramount to my resting place. *****
Thank god for this vendor, the only supplier that would back me up in my time oh need. Send it to me, oh, touched by the grace of chaos and good! Oh albatros, oh heavenly messenger in my time of mundane peril. Speak to me, and let me question what I know. Because, I've read books, but I haven't gone whaling.

Horizon, witness distance. Paramount to my resting place. *****

Thank god for this vendor, the only supplier that would back me up in my time oh need. Send it to me, oh, touched by the grace of chaos and good! Oh albatros, oh heavenly messenger in my time of mundane peril. Speak to me, and let me question what I know. Because, I've read books, but I haven't gone whaling.

A gripping classic on the high seas *****
Opening with the famous line "Call me Ishmael", so begins this classic tale of one man's obsession with a noble, beautiful, yet highly intimidating beast of the seas, the white sperm whale Moby Dick. Set in the 1850's, this story tells of Captain Ahab and his passionate quest to get his revenge on the whale which severed his leg on a past sea-voyage. The story is told by Ishmael, who along with his newly-found friend Queequeg, embark on this most fateful journey. This book really expresses the heart and soul of men who spend many years of their lives away from their loved families and friends to pursue and kill the proud sperm whales of the deep blue. When reading Melville's description of life at sea, you really get a feeling of a sad dignity to the whaleman's life as he travels the globe. This novel isn't so much about a whale, but about one man's intense sorrow and desire for vengence and the lengths to which he'll go to acheive his victory over a foe which seems almost to exist solely to torment him. It's a book rich with commentary on the depths of one's soul. Although this story is told by Ishmael, much of it is written more by an omniscient narrator. Certainly, there are many scenes which are described in detailed which Ishmael's character certainly couldn't have been present for. In fact, Ishmael himself hardly seems to play much of a role in the events within the novel. But, he does spend many chapters describing the sperm whale, such as it's dimensions, eating and travelling patterns, the various goods its body produces, etc. He speaks of this so much at certain points it's almost a little too much. But, he gives wonderful details which suggest Melville really did some in-depth research for this novel. I can certainly see why this is a classic. It's so very well-written and reading it made me wish so much I had this type of literary talent. The descriptive language is very beautiful. The characters all seem so real, particularly Captain Ahab, who's seems to be burdened with a good nature, but heavy heart. Although the novel may seem a little slow or long at some points and the lengthy description of the Sperm Whale can become tedious, it's well worth wading through these low points to enjoy this wonderful tale. I think this is really a great book and certainly worth reading.

A gripping classic on the high seas *****

Opening with the famous line "Call me Ishmael", so begins this classic tale of one man's obsession with a noble, beautiful, yet highly intimidating beast of the seas, the white sperm whale Moby Dick. Set in the 1850's, this story tells of Captain Ahab and his passionate quest to get his revenge on the whale which severed his leg on a past sea-voyage. The story is told by Ishmael, who along with his newly-found friend Queequeg, embark on this most fateful journey.

This book really expresses the heart and soul of men who spend many years of their lives away from their loved families and friends to pursue and kill the proud sperm whales of the deep blue. When reading Melville's description of life at sea, you really get a feeling of a sad dignity to the whaleman's life as he travels the globe. This novel isn't so much about a whale, but about one man's intense sorrow and desire for vengence and the lengths to which he'll go to acheive his victory over a foe which seems almost to exist solely to torment him. It's a book rich with commentary on the depths of one's soul.

Although this story is told by Ishmael, much of it is written more by an omniscient narrator. Certainly, there are many scenes which are described in detailed which Ishmael's character certainly couldn't have been present for. In fact, Ishmael himself hardly seems to play much of a role in the events within the novel. But, he does spend many chapters describing the sperm whale, such as it's dimensions, eating and travelling patterns, the various goods its body produces, etc. He speaks of this so much at certain points it's almost a little too much. But, he gives wonderful details which suggest Melville really did some in-depth research for this novel.

I can certainly see why this is a classic. It's so very well-written and reading it made me wish so much I had this type of literary talent. The descriptive language is very beautiful. The characters all seem so real, particularly Captain Ahab, who's seems to be burdened with a good nature, but heavy heart. Although the novel may seem a little slow or long at some points and the lengthy description of the Sperm Whale can become tedious, it's well worth wading through these low points to enjoy this wonderful tale. I think this is really a great book and certainly worth reading.