Moby Dick

"Call me Ishmael". So begins Moby-Dick, Herman Melville`s epic account of the last voyage of the ill-fated whaling ship Pequod, and its captain`s obsessive pursuit of the legendary white whale that maimed him years before. Melville`s classic novel has given American literature some of its most iconic characters. Inspired by the real-life ordeal of the crew of the whaling ship Essex--who, in 1819, were set adrift in the heart of the sea for eighty-nine days, after the whale they were hunting stove in their ship`s hull--and steeped in the lore and legendry of whaling, Melville`s novel is widely regarded as one of the greatest American novels. More than a rousing tale of adventure on the high seas, Moby-Dick is acknowledged today as a fundamental exploration of the ideas and interests that shaped the American experience in the nineteenth century. The text of Moby-Dick in this volume is from the authoritative Northwestern Newberry edition of The Writings of Herman Melville. Moby-Dick is one of Barnes & Noble`s leatherbound classics.Each volume features authoritative texts by the world`s greatest authors in an exquisitely designed bonded-leather binding, with distinctive gilt edging and a silk-ribbon bookmark.