Books

True first edition of Moby Dick, preceding the American edition by a month and containing substantial textual differences, this the first issue with the 1851 title page. With only 500 copies printed, this edition is much rarer than its American successor and even poor copies are extremely hard to find. Copies as clean as the present example are exceptionally rare. The English edition was set up from the proof-sheets of the American edition, published by Harper. Because of the greater protection afforded by British copyright law, it was customary for American books, if they could find a British market, to appear in England before publication in the United States (Delbanco, p. 177). However, the English edition was extensively edited by Richard Bentley without Melville's knowledge. The profanity and alleged irreverent references were toned down, and about 35 passages that later appeared in the American edition were deleted, including the epilogue, despite it accounting for Ishmael's survival - in its absence, a prominent review in the London Spectator criticized the whole novel, with a first-person narrative apparently ending with the death of all involved. Melville was most unhappy on discovering the changes. "Seeing his book mutilated and mocked had the effect of angering Melville permanently against publishers and critics" (ibid., p. 178). Moreover, the late change of title by Melville from The Whale to Moby Dick was not enacted, as Bentley had already advertised the work under the former title. Probably to placate Melville, Bentley inserted a half-title page in the first volume only, which reads "The Whale; or, Moby Dick". The American edition followed with the altered title and in a single volume. Both editions sold poorly, and in 1853, remaining sheets of the English edition were reissued with a new title page bearing that date. It was only after Melville's lifetime that the novel was recognized as a masterpiece of American, and indeed world, literature. "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). Three volumes, large duodecimo (190 x 120 mm). Sympathetically rebound to style in blue half calf, red morocco labels, compartments decorated in blind with a wave-like scroll between raised bands with gilt rolls, marbled sides, old sprinkled edges. Housed in a red quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. Half-title in volume I only, as called for. Slight crease to fore edge of early leaves in vol. I. A very clean copy in a sympathetic binding. BAL 13663; Grolier American 60; Sadleir 1685 - "one of the rarest of three-deckers". Andrew Delbanco, Melville: His World and Work, 2006.

"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.