Books

First US edition of Melville's masterpiece. It is the first edition published under Melville's preferred title, Moby-Dick, the first edition published in a single volume, and the first to include the crucial epilogue and 35 further passages which were omitted from the slightly earlier British edition. To protect his international copyright, Melville originally had the work published in London four weeks earlier, in a three-volume edition entitled The Whale. Now universally acclaimed, the novel was at first a "complete practical failure, misunderstood by the critics and ignored by the public; and in 1853 the Harper's fire destroyed the plates of all his books and most of the copies remaining in stock" (DAB, vol. XII, p. 523). "Moby-Dick is the great conundrum-book. Is it a profound allegory with the white whale the embodiment of moral evil, or merely the finest story of the sea ever written? Whichever it is, now rediscovered, it stirs and stimulates each succeeding generation, whether reading it for pleasure or with a scalpel. Within its pages can be found the sound and scents, the very flavor, of the maritime life of our whaling ancestors" (Grolier). BAL 13664; Grolier American 100, 60; Johnson High Spots 57. Octavo (179 x 113 mm). Early 20th-century red half morocco, green spine label, central floral device in compartments gilt, raised bands tooled in gilt and ruled in blind, floral gilt roll on spine foot, sides and corners with blind dog-tooth roll, marbled sides and edges, brown endpapers. Bound with publisher's 6-page adverts at end. Blank upper margin of title page sometime restored, presumably owing to an excised ownership inscription, occasional marks to text, faint tide marks to margins throughout, small paper flaw to upper outer corner of pp. 269/70, closed tear to epilogue leaf sometime neatly repaired with tape. A very good copy.

"Moby-Dick; or, The Whale," penned by Herman Melville in 1851, stands as a monumental work in American literature, melding adventure, philosophical inquiry, and deep symbolism. At its core, the novel narrates the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab, the monomaniacal commander of the whaling ship Pequod, to exact vengeance on Moby Dick, a gargantuan white sperm whale. Ahab's pursuit of the elusive leviathan, which had previously maimed him, becomes a profound exploration of ambition, madness, and humanity's struggle against the unfathomable forces of nature. The story is recounted by Ishmael, a sailor aboard the Pequod, who serves not only as a narrator but also as a philosophical observer, pondering the mysteries of existence and the interconnectedness of mankind and the natural world. The narrative weaves together Ishmael's reflections, the diverse tales of the ship's crew, and detailed expositions on whaling, creating a rich tapestry that transcends the conventions of its adventure story framework. "Moby-Dick" is celebrated for its ambitious scope, intricate symbolism, and the complexity of its themes. Melville's use of language is both grandiose and penetrating, capable of shifting from technical descriptions of whaling to eloquent meditations on the human condition. The novel's famous opening line, "Call me Ishmael," signals the beginning of a journey not just across the seas but into the depths of the soul and the paradoxes of existence. The fame of "Moby-Dick" lies not only in its narrative audacity but in its capacity to provoke endless interpretation. Ahab's quest against Moby Dick has been read as an allegory for the hubris of man, the inscrutability of fate, and the eternal battle against nature's indomitable will. Over time, the novel has transcended its initial lukewarm reception to become a cornerstone of American literature, revered for its profound insights into the human psyche and the darkness and light that reside within the human heart.