Books

New York: United States Book Company, 1892. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. Good. Herman Melville's "Moby Dick or the White Whale". Very early printing from 1892 published by the United States Book Company, New York. The true first edition was published by Harper and Brothers in 1851. The book measures 4.5" x 7.25", 545 pages including Extracts. Ex-library. Re-cased in half cloth binding over marbled boards. Gold and black leather labels to the spine with raised bands and gold tooling. New endsheets. This book had previously been a library book with a library binding. Previous repairs had been made with tape, especially to the first few pages of text. There was some amateur sewing to the textblock, with the first and last few pages of text reattached crookedly. Library stamps and notations. A professional bookbinder was able to mend some of the tears to the textblock but was unable to remove the tape repairs as they would ruin the integrity of the pages. Moisture stains and…

"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.

A true first edition can be identified by the presence of certain typographical errors, such as 'subtil' instead of 'subtle' on page 21.