Books

Hardcover. 4to. Published by Lakeside Press, Chicago, IL 1930. Three volumes, 279, 284, and 282 pgs. Illustrated with 280 illustrations by Kent after his ink and wash drawings. First, thus. Housed in the original aluminum slipcase with the acetate wrappers. Acetate wrappers are chipped and worn with some loss present to the edges and extremities. Bound in black cloth with silver pictorial design on the spine and front cover. Boards have shelf-wear present to the extremities (boards are lightly faded and lightly chipped at the crown of the spine). Text is clean and free of marks. Binding tight and solid. One of four books, including Edgar Allan Poe's Tales, Henry David Thoreau's Walden, and Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast, produced for R. R. Donnelley and Sons' Lakeside Press "Four American Books" campaign. Moby Dick looms large in America's literary consciousness and the style and philosophical content of Melville's 1851 epic was generations ahead of its time. Today the chronicle of a vengeful captain's obsessive, self-destructive search for a white whale ranks among the great American novels, and this volume does full justice to its preeminence. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 540 pages.

"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.