Books

First US edition of Melville's greatest work, in the first issue binding (BAL's "A" state, with the publisher's device on the covers and orange endpapers). The US edition was the first to appear under the familiar title and contains 35 passages and the epilogue omitted from the slightly earlier British edition. Red cloth is the rarest of the first issue binding colors. Moby-Dick was originally issued in London earlier the same year, set from the New York sheets and titled The Whale. Now universally acclaimed, at the time the novel was a "complete practical failure, misunderstood by the critics and ignored by the public; and in 1853 the Harpers' fire destroyed the plates of all his books and most of the copies remaining in stock" (DAB, vol. 12, p. 523). Johnson notes that "tale of the sea" was "hailed from semi-obscurity... and acclaimed a masterpiece. The mystic quality of the pursuit differentiates this from the conventional adventure story" (Johnson, p. 57). "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?" (Grolier American, p. 94). Copies in first issue bindings appear in black, blue, grey, green, purple-brown, red, and slate-colored cloth, without any priority. It was the custom of American publishers in the 1850s and 1860s to bind an edition in cloths of various colors, for the purpose of window display (Sadleir, p. 221). Octavo. Original red cloth, spine lettered in gilt with decorative gilt border at head and foot, covers with thick one-line border and central publisher's life-buoy device in blind, orange coated endpapers, 6 pp. publisher's advertisements at rear, preliminary and rear blanks. Housed in a custom red cloth chemise and brown morocco-backed slipcase. Bookplate of one Benjamin L. Jacobs on front free pastedown. Extremities a little worn, some consistent soiling to binding and top edge, front joint splitting at head, light browning to endpapers, minor repair to top corner of front free endpaper, some foxing as usual, spine of slipcase a little faded: a very good copy. BAL 13664; Grolier American 60; Merle Johnson, High Spots of American Literature, 1929; Michael Sadleir, Excursions in Victorian Bibliography, 1922.

"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.