Moby-Dick: or, The Whale [B0576]

2002 PB Penguin Classics reprint of the 1851 original, in excellent condition. Herman Melville's masterpiece of obsession and the untamed sea, one of the greatest works of imagination in literary history-featuring an introduction by Andrew Delbanco and notes by Tom Quirk. This edition features the Northwestern-Newberry edition of Melville's text, approved by the Center for Scholarly Editions and the Center for Editions of American Authors of the MLA. Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read Moby-Dick still stands as an indisputable literary classic. It is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, more than an encyclopedia of whaling lore and legend, Moby-Dick is a haunting, mesmerizing, and important social commentary populated with several of the most unforgettable and enduring characters in literature. Written with wonderfully redemptive humor, Moby-Dick is a profound and timeless inquiry into character, faith, and the nature of perception.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I think this book is brilliant. It kind of drones on and on and on but I think that's the point. I think it's all about finding meaning and beauty in what's in front of you, rather than endlessly pursuing some lofty goal or being driven by pain/revenge/pride. People like to complain that Moby Dick is boring but Melville's point is that nothing should be boring & everything is sacred, in its own way. That being said . . . this book drones on and on. So four stars."; "Herman Melville's Moby Dick is a fun book. Chock full of vivid prose, drama, philosophical reflection, and of course: Whale facts. So many whale facts. He puts it all into this powerhouse of a book and it shows. Melville's creative energy and extensive experience with whaling seemingly exploding out of every crevice in the book. Through the narration of Ishmael, we get Melville's powerful reflections on life and reality, and from the unrelenting Ahab pours out a sublimely cathartic rage and melancholy. It's hard to deny that Moby Dick is a meandering book. It takes many detours to explain whales and whaling, and only during its final 20 chapters (of a whopping 135) does the book seem to focus, and then it does take an absolutely speedy mad dash to the finale. But those slow, sleepy sections are saved by Melville's writing, whether the subject is the classification of whales or the tools of his trade, his writing manages to be bouncy and a blast to read."