A renewed interest in "Moby-Dick" in the early 20th century would help to establish it as an outstanding work of Romanticism and the American Renaissance, firmly placing it amongst the greatest of all American novels. Based on the real life events depicted in the "Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex" and the legend of "Mocha Dick", an albino sperm whale whose killing is described in the May 1839 issue of "The Knickerbocker" magazine, it is the story of a wandering sailor by ...
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A renewed interest in "Moby-Dick" in the early 20th century would help to establish it as an outstanding work of Romanticism and the American Renaissance, firmly placing it amongst the greatest of all American novels. Based on the real life events depicted in the "Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex" and the legend of "Mocha Dick", an albino sperm whale whose killing is described in the May 1839 issue of "The Knickerbocker" magazine, it is the story of a wandering sailor by the name of Ishmael and his voyage aboard the whaling ship the "Pequod." Commanded by the monomaniacal Captain Ahab, a man who is obsessed with revenge against a white whale of enormous size and ferocity, the "Pequod" and its crew are tasked with the singular goal of the capture and killing of the whale, whatever the cost. "Moby-Dick" is a novel rich with symbolism, full of complex themes, whose composition defies convention. A commercial and critical failure during the author's lifetime, this classic whaling adventure would ultimately secure the literary legacy of Herman Melville. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.
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Seller's Description:
This item is fairly worn, but continues to work perfectly. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn corners, bends, tears, small stains, and partial water damage. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing, if applicable. Pages may include excessive notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Very nice book, and extremely prompt shipping...thanks again!
milly
Oct 13, 2011
Hardcover in great shape, came exactly as described. This is a somewhat scarce,annotated edition. And, Moby Dick ( with or without the annotations), is THE single greatest book ever written.
joekc6nlx
Apr 24, 2008
The Great American Novel
When I studied this book in college, we discussed what Melville was describing in this story. It's not only about a young man's transformation through his experiences on the Pequod, nor is it only about Ahab's obsession with killing Moby Dick to the exclusion of all else. It's about man's struggle against Nature, the attempts by man to change, control, and eventually overcome Nature. Melville understood that man could never accomplish this, but would only end up destroying himself as Ahab destroyed himself by harpooning Moby Dick.
In my opinion, this is still the greatest American novel ever written, not only for the twin stories of Ishmael and Ahab, but also educational in how whalers lived, worked, and sometimes died.