Best Selling Books by Herman Melville

Moby-Dick is an 1851 novel by Herman Melville. The story tells the adventures of the wandering sailor Ishmael and his voyage on the whaling ship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Often considered the embodiment of American Romanticism, Moby-Dick was first published by Richard Bentley in London on October 18, 1851 in an expurgated three-volume edition titled The Whale, and later as one massive volume, by New York City publisher Harper and Brothers as Moby-Dick; or, The Whale on November 14, 1851. This a photo-mechanical reprint of that edition. The first line of Chapter One-"Call me Ishmael."-is one of the most famous in literature. Although the book initially received mixed reviews, Moby-Dick is now considered one of the greatest novels in the English language and has secured Melville's place among America's greatest writers.

The sailor Ishmael gets employed at the whaling ship The Pequod, which is steered by the eccentric captain Ahab. The captain is obsessed with the giant white whale Moby Dick and his mad hunt on the dangerous animal brings all the crew’s lives in danger. Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American author whose books were based on his own experiences as a sailor. Today Herman Melville is world famous for his novel "Moby Dick" but in his time the novel was ill received and quickly forgotten. Not until many years after Herman Melville's death did "Moby Dick" get rediscovered and today it is considered one of the greatest classics in American literature.

The novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville is an epic tale of the voyage of the whaling ship the Pequod and its captain, Ahab, who relentlessly pursues the great Sperm Whale (the title character) during a journey around the world. The narrator of the novel is Ishmael, a sailor on the Pequod who undertakes the journey out of his affection for the sea. Moby Dick begins with Ishmael's arrival in New Bedford as he travels toward Nantucket. He rests at the Spouter Inn in New Bedford, where he meets Queequeg, a harpooner from New Zealand who will also sail on the Pequod.

The authoritative edition of Melville's classic first novel.

...for there is no folly of the beasts of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of men. The 500+ page book of the American classic, this beautiful Reader's Library Classic Hardcover edition of Moby-Dick takes you on a legendary voyage aboard the Pequod, where Captain Ahab's obsession with the whale named "Moby Dick" drives the crew and his ship further and further into a spiral of madness. Considered a classic today, Moby-Dick was not as appreciated during the Herman Melville's lifetime, where it even went out of print for many decades. Not until Melville's 100 year anniversary of his birth year did a revival into his work bring Moby-Dick back into the forefront of classic American Literature.

One of the greatest books ever written. A splendid masterpiece. Moby Dick is generally regarded as Melville's magnum opus and one of the greatest American novels. Moby Dick famously begins with the narratorial invocation "Call me Ishmael." The narrator, like his biblical counterpart, is an outcast. Ishmael, who turns to the sea for meaning, relays to the audience the final voyage of the Pequod, a whaling vessel. Amid a story of tribulation, beauty, and madness, the reader is introduced to a number of characters, many of whom have names with religious resonance. The ship's captain is Ahab, who Ishmael and his friend Queequeg soon learn is losing his mind. Starbuck, Ahab's first-mate, recognizes this problem too, and is the only one throughout the novel to voice his disapproval of Ahab's increasingly obsessive behavior. This nature of Ahab's obsession is first revealed to Ishmael and Queequeg after the Pequod's owners, Peleg and Bildad, explain to them that Ahab is still recovering from an encounter with a large whale that resulted in the loss of his leg. That whale's name is Moby Dick. The Pequod sets sail, and the crew is soon informed that this journey will be unlike their other whaling missions: this time, despite the reluctance of Starbuck, Ahab intends to hunt and kill the beastly Moby Dick no matter the cost.

Ignoring prophecies of doom, the seafarer Ishmael joins the crew of a whaling expedition that is an obsession for the ship’s captain, Ahab. Once maimed by the White Whale, Moby Dick, Ahab has set out on a voyage of revenge. With godlike ferocity, he surges into dangerous waters-immune to the madness of his vision, refusing to be bested by the forces of nature.
An exhilarating whaling yarn, an apocalyptic theodicy, a tragic confessional, and a profound allegory, Moby Dick encompasses all that it means to be human-from the physical and metaphysical to the spiritual and emotional. Full of strange wisdom and wild digressive energy, it’s a singular literary performance universally regarded as one of the great American novels.

Offering all lovers of literature an extraordinary opportunity, this new edition of Pierre, or The Ambiguities is a reconstruction of the text, considered by Melville scholars as the finest psychological novel yet written in English, that Melville delivered to Harper & Brothers in January, 1852. Features 30 full-color pictures by Maurice Sendak.

The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade is a quiet but bitter castigation of mankind. Melville relentlessly reveals man's utter lack of faith in one another, and discloses the facility with which most men can be duped. As the author's last major work of fiction, The Confidence-Man rivals Mark Twain's late works for gloom, pessimism, and insight.As passengers aboard the steamboat Fidele prepare for their trip from St. Louis to New Orleans down the Mississippi River, they read a placard offering a reward for the capture of an imposter from the East -- a confidence man. During the trip, the imposter assumes many disguises as he goes about the boat cheating and duping passengers out of their money. In confrontations between the confidence man and his victims, Melville explores the incapacity of the Christian values of faith, hope, and charity to ward off evil acts. He generalizes, with sizzling insight, the Fidele passengers to represent the human species. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Herman Melville's "Moby Dick," a cornerstone of American literature, intricately weaves a narrative rich in symbolism, philosophy, and the profound complexity of human experiences. Set against the staggering backdrop of the whaling industry in the 19th century, the novel is structured as a first-person account from Ishmael, one of the crew members on the whaling ship Pequod. Melville employs a multitude of literary styles, blending elements of adventure, tragedy, and a series of digressive philosophical discourses that explore themes of obsession, revenge, and the existential search for meaning, embodied in Captain Ahab's relentless pursuit of the enigmatic white whale, Moby Dick. The text serves as both a gripping sea adventure and a meditation on man's place in the universe, challenging the moral compass of its time. Herman Melville, an American author and contemporary of Nathaniel Hawthorne, was influenced by his own maritime experiences. Having sailed the seas in his youth, Melville drew from his firsthand knowledge of whaling and the intermingling of cultures encountered during his voyages. His literary pursuits, often reflecting his disillusionment with society and the complexities of truth, culminate in this masterpiece, which was initially met with mixed reviews but has since risen to monumental acclaim as a profound exploration of human nature and an indictment of hubris. Readers are invited to delve into "Moby Dick" for its breathtaking prose and philosophical depth, ensuring an enriching experience for those who seek not just a story of adventure but a profound commentary on the human condition. As you journey alongside Ishmael and engage with Ahab's tragic quest, you will find yourself contemplating the timeless questions of existence and the eternal struggle against the forces of nature.

This illustrated edition of "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale" includes: Illustrations of objects and places mentioned in the novel. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee.

Bartleby is a kind of clerk, a copyist, "who obstinately refuses to go on doing the sort of writing demanded of him." During the spring of 1851, Melville felt similarly about his work on Moby Dick. Thus, Bartleby can be seen to represent Melville's frustration with his own situation as a writer, and the story itself is "about a writer who forsakes conventional modes because of an irresistible preoccupation with the most baffling philosophical questions." Bartleby can also be seen to represent Melville's relation to his commercial, democratic society.

Ishmael, the narrator, announces his intent to ship aboard a whaling vessel. He has made several voyages as a sailor but none as a whaler. He travels to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he stays in a whalers' inn. Since the inn is rather full, he has to share a bed with a harpooner from the South Pacific named Queequeg. At first repulsed by Queequeg's strange habits and shocking appearance (Queequeg is covered with tattoos), Ishmael eventually comes to appreciate the man's generosity and kind spirit, and the two decide to seek work on a whaling vessel together. They take a ferry to Nantucket, the traditional capital of the whaling industry. There they secure berths on the Pequod, a savage-looking ship adorned with the bones and teeth of sperm whales. Peleg and Bildad, the Pequod's Quaker owners, drive a hard bargain in terms of salary. They also mention the ship's mysterious captain, Ahab, who is still recovering from losing his leg in an encounter with a sperm whale on his last voyage.

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale (1851) is a novel by Herman Melville considered an outstanding work of Romanticism and the American Renaissance. Ishmael narrates the monomaniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, a white whale which on a previous voyage destroyed Ahab's ship and severed his leg at the knee. Matte Cover 8.5x11' (Large Print)

Moby Dick; Or, The Whale A tragic tale of obsession and revenge set against the unforgiving sea, Herman Melville's MOBY-DICK has now been expertly edited and generously illustrated for the twenty-first-century reader. Here are the mad whaling captain Ahab, the all-observant narrator Ishmael, and the mysterious, invincible white whale himself, and here are scenes of peril and carnage, nobility and redemption - presented in Melville's original language, threaded together with passages of summary by renowned author Jan Needle. Lavish artwork by Patrick Benson, one of the finest children's illustrators working today, captures the timeless spirit of this extraordinary classic.