Moby Dick
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Some "classics" aren't. This one is.
  • Slog Through It -- It's Worth It
  • Free SF Reader
  • Strange but...
  • Key Work of Literature
Moby Dick
Patricia Daniels , and Herman Melville
Manufacturer: Heinemann Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

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ASIN: 0817216790

Book Description

A novel that explores the darkest depths and brightest hopes in the souls of men, Moby-Dick is an impassioned drama of the ultimate human struggle that the Atlantic Monthly called "the greatest of American novels."

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Some "classics" aren't. This one is........2007-09-21

A few years back I made a conscious decision to read (and in some cases re-read) a number of books that fall into the category of "classics." The books that stand the test of time the best have an uncanny ability to feel modern and relevant no matter how long ago they were written. It's almost as if there is a certain current that runs down through the years that flows with a permanence that most don't. If a writer can tap into this current, their writing can be timeless; a classic.

Herman Melville tapped into that current in spades in this story. Despite this book being over 150 years old, the themes Melville selected from many obviously available to him are themes that are just as relevant an engaging today as they were in 1851. Further, Melville somehow had a handle on using language that would not seem outdated even after a century and a half.

What you get is a great story about a revenge-obsessed man, characters to whom you can easily relate and colorful descriptions of the life of a whaleman. It all comes together beautifully.

Any drawbacks? Sure, Melville's story slows in the middle of the book as he goes into a deep examination of the physical characteristics of various whales, but it's still interesting and it's just not enough to take away from the rest of this novel.

Highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars Slog Through It -- It's Worth It.......2007-09-18

This great American novel of the 19th Century, like some of the great novels of the 20th Century, is at times unreadable. Long riffs about whale biology and whale trivia made me put down this book when I tried to read it many years ago. I got through it this time, with the help of Frank Muller's classic reading on audiotape. Don't bother with anyone else's reading -- go to the library and check out Muller's version. He is one of the top readers and does justice to the poetry and great language of this novel.

The book is not told in the way we would find conventional today -- a fast paced narration of the adventures of men at sea. Melville clearly wants to tell the tale in the epic style. He writes in very short chapters that resemble Biblical passages, both in the poetic use of language and in addressing the most elemental themes of good vs. evil, man vs. nature, and the human condition. In the end, even the whale trivia serves the epic purpose in driving home the extraordinary courage and heroism of these whalers.

I don't buy the idea that Moby Dick, malevolent as he is, somehow represents evil. The sometimes destructive and overwhelming force of nature is more likely the right allegorical symbol. Evil for me is Ahab, given the truly heartless choices he makes in his obsession for the White Whale -- and given what happens to a man after 40 years at sea.

The most attractive characters are Ishmael and Queequeg, Ishmael's cannibal friend. Each demonstrates the best quailities of human nature --companionship, courage, acceptance of their lot in life. Given the racial turmoil of the 1850s, Melville may have been making a political point by portraying the nobility of the dark-skinned. I don't buy the idea that the allegory was any more elaborate than that, though it's clear to me that the novel is a gold mine for all sorts of Ph.D. thesis topics.

In the end, I do think that the great themes explored by Melville are more effectively explored less allegorically and more through character development and moral choices. For that reason, I'd say that Huckleberry Finn is the true Great American Novel of the 19th century and that the great Russian contemploraries of Melville wrote better books. But this certainly is a classic work worth the effort.

4 out of 5 stars Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

This whale hunting job really drives me crazy.

or, longer version:

Take on really stupendously big arse white wale. Add a crazed, obsessive monomaniacal Captain. Add in a couple of narrators and quite a few other unfortunates who get stuck in the middle of his quest for the white whale.

Add in an author waxing lyrical, often at length, and you are left with a pretty decent and often interesting novel.






5 out of 5 stars Strange but..........2007-08-29

The strangeness is what makes Moby-Dick so exceptional and an indisputable classic. It was quite a difficult and long read, but upon completion, it was, without a doubt, completely and utterly worthwhile. The characters were some of the most unique in all of fiction and each of them is leaves their mark.

5 out of 5 stars Key Work of Literature.......2007-08-27

Moby-Dick is a sprawling, unwieldy yet very great novel about the obsessive pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. "Call me Ishmael..." the famous opening lines establishes the omniscient narrator for this whale of an epic. The novel is filled with remarkable characters; their composite comradery is a true achievement of writing. Melville's insistence on explicating precise technical minutia on the craft of whaling and oceanography turned off most readers when the book was initially published (these sections still turn off most who dare penetrate this tome), yet it is really these sections that allow the reader to become immersed in the world of Ahab, the deranged symbol of evil amidst the beauty and sublime grace of the sea. Melville was an undisputed master of literary style, and this masterpiece is difficult to place for the simple reason that its' incomprehensible scale defies categorization. This is a reader's book; it is a divine allegory, a conventional adventure, and a bewitching construction all at once. Not for the weak minded.
Moby Dick Or The Whale Leatherbound Easton Press..100 Greatest Books Ever Written
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • wonderful edition of a true classic
Moby Dick Or The Whale Leatherbound Easton Press..100 Greatest Books Ever Written
Herman Melville
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

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ASIN: B000MMRLGC

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars wonderful edition of a true classic.......2007-09-14

For those who are fans of classic American Literature, Moby Dick is certainly one of the greats and the easton press edition does the story service by binding a wonderful novel in gold embossed leather for a look and feel any book collecter would be proud of.
Moby-Dick: or, The Whale(Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Classics Deluxe Editio)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Moby Dick, Philbrick intro
  • One of the best literary works of all time
  • A 19th Century American Masterpiece
  • A Milestone in Every Reader's Life!
  • A Practical Guide to Whaling and the Mysteries of Life
Moby-Dick: or, The Whale(Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Classics Deluxe Editio)
Herman Melville
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142000086
Release Date: 2001-09-04

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Moby Dick, Philbrick intro.......2007-02-15

This edition of this great book is pleasing in every way...I used it to read from in the Moby Dick marathon in New Bedford...supple, beautiful, light but sturday paperback. Nathaniel Philbrick's introduction is wonderful. This edition belongs at every bedside.

5 out of 5 stars One of the best literary works of all time.......2007-01-09

From awe-inspiring metaphors, to the tale of a whale and the addicted sailor who relentlessly pursues him, this book is truly amazing. It brings home from the depths of the sea the reality that we all possess within us. Each Character has their own uniquely powerful personality that most can relate to. After taking a university class dedicated entirely to this book, I am convinced that Herman Melville has encapsulated the mystery and reality of what it means to be human. On the surface you will get a great adventure story, but if you analyze it carefully, as my professor would say "the universe can be found in this book." A little quote: "Don't step off that isle for thou canst never return." A definate read for all ages!!!

5 out of 5 stars A 19th Century American Masterpiece.......2006-09-03

I guess I did not know what to expect, but I was surprised by the form and structure of the book. It is written in the form of 135 short chapters, some only half a page long, and it ends abruptly with a flourish of action without much warning.

As a reader I want to state one cautionary note about this version of the book. By the way this is a well made book with large font and the paper is similar in quality to a hard cover book. The thing which I did not like and I caution a reader about in advance, is that one should not read the introduction by Nathaniel Philbrick and do not look at the maps or table of contents until you have finished reading the book. Too much of the plot is given away in those parts, well meaning or otherwise; and, knowing the end and the outline of the story spoils the read in my opinion.

There are three elements which I found of interest. The first was the description of whaling and all the stories and trivia surrounding whaling. There is much romance and lore presented by Melville, over 500 pages and it is mostly an interesting and an impressive read.

Ismael is the narrator but he is colorless compared to the larger than life captain Ahab who is the living embodiment of everything wrong with having an obsession. His obsession is to find and kill the great white whale Moby Dick. Most of the story is the search across great oceans to find this notorious whale.

The last thing that stood out for myself was the prose. Melville has a colorful and interesting style, almost Shakespearean from time to time, and that makes the book the great masterpiece that it is. The last dozen chapters are very well written and convey a strong feeling of excitement and action. Here is an example from an earlier Chapter 37: "Sunset."

"The cabin; by the stern windows; Ahab sitting alone, and gazing out.

I leave a white and turbid wake; pale waters, paler cheeks, where'er I sail. The envious billows sidelong swell to whelm my track; let them; but first I pass.

Yonder, by ever-brimming goblet's rim, the warm waves blush like wine. The gold brow plumbs the blue. The diver sun- slow dived from noon- goes down; my soul mounts up! she wearies with her endless hill. Is, then, the crown too heavy that I wear? this Iron Crown of Lombardy. Yet is it bright with many a gem; I the wearer, see not its far flashings; but darkly feel that I wear that, that dazzlingly confounds. 'Tis iron- that I know- not gold. 'Tis split, too- that I feel; the jagged edge galls me so, my brain seems to beat against the solid metal; aye, steel skull, mine; the sort that needs no helmet in the most brain-battering fight!

Dry heat upon my brow? Oh! time was, when as the sunrise nobly spurred me, so the sunset soothed. No more. This lovely light, it lights not me; all loveliness is anguish to me, since I can ne'er enjoy. Gifted with the high perception, I lack the low, enjoying power; damned, most subtly and most malignantly! damned in the midst of Paradise! Good night-good night! (waving his hand, he moves from the window.)"

Moby Dick is semi-autobiographical and is based on trips made by Melville himself in younger days. Melville in his later years was unable to regain the passion and complexity of this book in his writings and was forced to give up being a full time writer. This is a great read, and most book lovers will want to read the masterpiece more than once.

5 out of 5 stars A Milestone in Every Reader's Life!.......2006-08-17

I'd heard rumors about the book before I read it. That it was drawn out and overlong. That it was bizarre in its construction and characterization. That it senselessly detailed the intricacies of whaling to a microscopic degree. Having read the book, all of these are true, but they are by no means condemnations. It is a book ahead of its time--perhaps still ahead of our time. Take, for example, those first hundred pages which so beautifully detail the relationship of Ishmael with Queequeg; this section is intriguing and instructive and startling at once, displaying homoerotic overtones that would shock today, more than 150 years after its publication. This is a book that depicts the entirety of life: religion, relationships, occupation, philosophy, etc. There is nothing untouched in this novel, and it provides insight into all.

Reading Moby-Dick, I had an experience similar to that which I felt while reading Heart of Darkness for the first time. I find them strikingly similar in construction. For Conrad, it was the jungle; for Melville, the water. The protagonists of each are drawn inexplicably forward, many times against their own will. The psychological and philosophical implications of these narratives are truly enlightening.

Indeed, the language is sometimes difficult to wrap your mind around--especially some of the whaling dialect that arises in the characters extended soliloquies. But this is a book that shouldn't be missed. I was startled to conclude that the cetology and whaling minutiae did not distract me from the experience but focused me on the events that followed; for all of its eight hundred pages, there is not a superfluous word. And when the novel reaches its beautiful conclusion, it is a dramatic and brilliantly paced even that creates a bit of a whaler in each reader.

5 out of 5 stars A Practical Guide to Whaling and the Mysteries of Life.......2006-06-17

I have, on more than one occasion, heard English professors and writers pine for the day when they could craft a single sentence as rich, as descriptive and revealing as Herman Melville.

We should all be this envious.

One reviewer noted that maturity is necessary for reading Melville's Moby Dick. I've been spellbound by this book since I was 20. Thirty years later, I can't turn away from it. When it came time for me to write my own book on a true nautical disaster, only a line by Melville could do justice as an introductory quote, though it came from Melville's book White Jacket.

Moby Dick is Melville's masterpiece, though even his shorter works such as Benito Cereno and Billy Budd should be examined.

Some force touched Melville, connecting him to the land, the sky and the sea and to the souls of men, and then, inexplicably, blended his consciousness with the universe. Melville exhibits an uncanny appreciation of the mystery of existence that is spliced as tightly as a mainbrace to everyday tasks and knowledge. The preparation of a harpoon for its murderous work is part of life's reality and Melville makes sure we can sign on for a voyage and do our part.

In Moby Dick, Melville instructs you not only how to be a whaler, but he's given the reader a glimpse into eternity. Moby Dick is required reading for anyone who wants to understand Melville's magnificent vision of America, as a lone quixotic ship of co-equal strangers upon a journey that is as thrilling as it is fraught with hazards.

Melville's best-kept secret is his harpoon-sharp humor which is unleashed on society through the rueful observations of his characters as they navigate a ruthless sea driven by the unyielding Ahab. The dour New England whaling captain is both at his best and worst when he is enthusiastically hailed by the captain of a passing ship. "How wondrous familiar is a fool", mutters Ahab who can think of nothing but slaying the white whale.

Those seeking simple thrill reading may be too distracted to be in awe of Melville. His writing style is rich rather than impenetrable and not for those without a love of the language. A wise reader will allow himself to be overwhelmed like a sailor who surrendereds to the rise and fall of sea swells as they carry him to an unknown place.
Moby-Dick: or, The Whale (Modern Library Classics)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Confusing, sometimes pedantic, always wonderful
  • This is not the book for you if you're looking for a thriller.
  • A whale of a book
  • One for the Desert Island
  • Cetelogical Literature
Moby-Dick: or, The Whale (Modern Library Classics)
Herman Melville
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 067978327X
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Book Description

First published in 1851, Melville's masterpiece is, in Elizabeth Hardwick's words, "the greatest novel in American literature." The saga of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal pursuit of the white whale remains a peerless adventure story but one full of mythic grandeur, poetic majesty, and symbolic power. Filtered through the consciousness of the novel's narrator, Ishmael, Moby-Dick draws us into a universe full of fascinating characters and stories, from the noble cannibal Queequeg to the natural history of whales, while reaching existential depths that excite debate and contemplation to this day.

This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition contains original illustrations by Rockwell Kent and commentary that includes excerpts from one of Melville's letters to Hawthorne.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Confusing, sometimes pedantic, always wonderful.......2006-07-20

This is tough novel: big, confusing, it leaves you wanting to re-read it.

If you wanted to know the difference in structure (as opposed to scale) between a short story and a novel, Moby-Dick (or, The Whale) is probably the as good an exemplar one would find of the novel form. Where a short story focuses on a single event, action, or mood, a novel tends to take the air a bit more -- perambulate, follow its own muse, wander. And wander Moby Dick does. It goes and goes and goes. Melville wrote that he had written a wicked novel. I wonder if that is perceptible to a 21st century sensibility. Melville knows that he's depicting characters who have abandoned critical parts of their pasts, their society, and their souls, parts that many of us today no longer recognize, let alone miss. He strolls through various modernisms: pantheism, Kantianism, indifferentism, relativism, pessimism, Romanticism. Ahab -- what to make of him: sacrilegious, demonic, monomaniac, striving. A shadow of Christian belief, of Calvinism, no longer sufficiently vital to bring salvation, but more than adequate to reinforce notions of depravity and condemnation, hangs over the novel.

On a lighter note, Moby-Dick will give you a new appreciation for Star Trek. The episodic nature of the novel makes possible a bunch of self-contained mini-plots, each of which could be spun into its own little story. There's the encounter with a ship that has been taken over by a charismatic preacher and his converted followers. There's a ship in search of an abandoned crew, and one that is filled with bon vivants, appropriately named "The Bachelor."

There's undoubtedly a lot more than I can write about in a tiny review like this. Like a whale, this novel's soul is submerged most of the time, only occasionally spouting or breeching to reveal awesome and fearful sights.

4 out of 5 stars This is not the book for you if you're looking for a thriller........2006-06-07

Overall, Moby Dick was a wonderful piece of literature filled with all sorts of symbolism and artful imagery. It gave a very realistic take on things since the narrator was not really bias. Also, it is an anti-transcendentalist piece so it focuses more on reality and it examines the darker side of the human condition, so if you're looking for a story with a hero and a perfect ending then I suggest you find another book. It is difficult to describe how I really felt about Moby Dick because on one hand it was a boring read with a topic that less than interested me, but on the other hand it was fine, respectable literature that has a lot to analyze and that gives you a lot to think about. It is the kind of book that when you go back and read it again you find tons of little symbols and connections that you may have missed completely the first time around. That is what I like about the book; it gives you plenty of room to interpret these things as you will. I suggest this book if you do not get bored easily because it is sometimes hard not to when Melville starts getting off-topic and talking about things like the specific steps in whale-hunting, which he often does.

3 out of 5 stars A whale of a book.......2006-05-19

Moby Dick is one of those classic books that is actually several simultaneous books rolled up into one; each a level below the other. At the most superficial level, Moby Dick is an adventure - drama about a male albino sperm while of the same name that roams the open oceans while being chased by a crew of whalers on a sailing ship named the Pequod. The ship is captained by Ahab, a man who has lost one leg in a previous encounter with the great whale. The book progresses thru various chapters. The initial and final chapters are the story itself; the chase of the whale across the oceans. The middle chapters provide a thorough and detailed examination of various facets of whales, sailing and the whaling industry.

If this book was only an adventure story on the high seas; it would probably be unknown today for it is long and quite boring with a lot of pages devoted to dialogue and description. But, at a deeper level this book is a careful study of the vast range of human emotions. The terror of the sailors facing the great whale, the agony felt by survivors of crashed boats, the vengeance that drives Ahab, the comraderie between members of the harpooning team, the rivalries between the different harpooners, the suspense of the lookouts trying to get the first glimpse of whale or land... the vast range of emotions that man can experience are experienced on the Pequoud's journey. Key to this study is the fact that the ship's crew forms Western literature's first, truly multi-racial cast of characters. Names like Queequeg, Ishmael, Starbuck, Tashtego, and Daggoo represent the various races known to white man during the time of this book's writing.

At the most basic level, this book, like all other classics in the western genre, is a commentary of human society. Here, the theme is mankind's destructive behavior, its attempts to control nature, and the ensuing wreckage that nature can bring forth onto man. Interestingly enough, the two leaders of the great quest are Ahab, an American, and Flask, an Englishman. At the time of the book's writing, America and England were in the throes of the Industrial Revolution. A visitor to the cities of either country at that time would be repulsed by the smokestacks, pollution, dirty streets, and factories. Both countries were undergoing large-scale transitions from societies that lived with nature to those that destroyed nature. The four harpooners are from native tribes in various parts of the world. As harpooners, they are the ones who will kill the whales. As an allegory, the represent the fact that in many lands, it was the natives who first showed the encroaching white man how to feed of nature's bounty. Ishael of course is Jewish. And it is the sole Jew on the boat who survives the onslaught of Moby Dick. This parallels the Bible, where the Jews are those chosen by God.

I read this book when I was in my late teens and found it quite challenging. I only finished it with the help of reading aides and study guides. I would not recommend attempting to read this unaided, for it can be quite boring and challenging.

5 out of 5 stars One for the Desert Island.......2005-11-29

This is one of those books that can be the only book you will ever need. The range of characters is quite wide and it has excellent descriptive matter. I only wish it had more of the saucy and less of the salty. Otherwise I just love this book!

3 out of 5 stars Cetelogical Literature.......2005-07-15

This review pertains more to this particular edition of Moby-Dick than Moby-Dick itself. The story needs no summary or introduction. It's great and I would assume that by browsing here you have already expressed interest in the book, and so you should!

However, the Modern Library Classics publication of Moby-Dick is subpar when put side by side with Penguin Classics, Oxford World Classics, or the pentultimate Norton Critical Edition. The particularly nice part of this edition is the original woodcut illustrations of Rockwell Kent. While this is certainly a nice touch, it does not help the reader as much as better explanatory notes would. Moby-Dick is a book saturated with symbolism and copious references to Biblical works. While there is a very sparce selection of explanatory notes in the back of the book, many difficult passages or more obscure references go completely unnoticed by them. The introduction by Elizabeth Hardwick is really no help at all and comes close to approaching the incoherence of rambling enthusiasm.

Much of what makes Moby-Dick the amazing work of literature that is will be missed by a casual reader if he or she selects this publication. It's a truly American novel and one of the first to come out of the American Renaissance that asserted American writers were of equal, if not better, ability with their European contemporaries. It's an experience that should not be missed, but should be experienced with a better publisher.
Moby-Dick (Cliffs Notes)
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Well, it is shorter....
  • Well, it is shorter....
  • The original is better
Moby-Dick (Cliffs Notes)
Stanley P. Baldwin
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764586645

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background.

In CliffsNotes on Moby-Dick, you follow along this great American novel; the turbulent and adventurous story of a sea captain's obsession with a white whale.

This study guide shares a story about defiance, friendship, duty, and death — all immersed in symbolism, such as the white whale, itself. You'll gain comfort with the dark and complicated plot as you move through critical commentaries on each of the novel's 135 chapters. Other features that help you figure out this important work include

Classic literature or modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Well, it is shorter...........2006-03-04

Kids, think of this as an ice cream sundae with only the vanilla film and a speck of fudge on the inside of the sundae glass. It'll be enough for you to report on the significant parts of the sundae in great detail to Mr. English Teacher, but you'll have none of the feeling of having eaten an ice cream sundae, perhaps the finest food on Earth, if not the finest thing. Let's call this a loan. Use old Cliff to get through the test, but promise yourself that you'll at least pull up a chair to the book when you have the chance.

4 out of 5 stars Well, it is shorter...........2006-01-27

Kids, think of this as an ice cream sundae with only the vanilla film and a speck of fudge on the inside of the sundae glass. It'll be enough for you to report on the significant parts of the sundae in great detail to Mr. English Teacher, but you'll have none of the feeling of having eaten an ice cream sundae, perhaps the finest food on Earth, if not the finest thing. Let's call this a loan. Use old Cliff to get through the test, but promise yourself that you'll at least pull up a chair to the book when you have the chance.

3 out of 5 stars The original is better.......2002-01-31

This volume skims over too much. I didn't like it as much as the original
Moby Dick The Whale, Volume I (Large Print)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Moby Dick The Whale, Volume I (Large Print)
    Herman Melville
    Manufacturer: ReadHowYouWant.com
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    Melville, HermanMelville, Herman | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    Font Size 16 BoldFont Size 16 Bold | Alternative Formats | Formats | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Moby Dick The Whale, Volume II (Large Print) Moby Dick The Whale, Volume II (Large Print)

    ASIN: 1425045847
    Release Date: 2006-12-01

    Book Description

    This is a classic adventurous novel by Herman Melville with metaphysical conjecture.
    Moby-Dick
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Beautiful book with many "helps"; abridged well
    Moby-Dick
    Herman Melville
    Manufacturer: Candlewick
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    5. Moby-Dick or, The Whale (Penguin Classics) Moby-Dick or, The Whale (Penguin Classics)

    ASIN: 0763630187
    Release Date: 2006-09-12

    Book Description

    An award-winning author and illustrator bring Melville's masterpiece to life for a new generation of readers in a stunning gift edition.

    A tragic tale of obsession and revenge set against the unforgiving sea, Herman Melville's MOBY-DICK has now been expertly edited and generously illustrated for the twenty-first-century reader. Here are the mad whaling captain Ahab, the all-observant narrator Ishmael, and the mysterious, invincible white whale himself, and here are scenes of peril and carnage, nobility and redemption — presented in Melville's original language, threaded together with passages of summary by renowned author Jan Needle. Lavish artwork by Patrick Benson, one of the finest children's illustrators working today, captures the timeless spirit of this extraordinary classic.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Beautiful book with many "helps"; abridged well.......2007-02-18

    I bought this book for my kids, after reading about it in (I think) the Wall Street Journal. I'm in the middle of reading the unabridged book, and I unexpectedly found this book a wonderful supplement for me as well, with a map of the Pequod's journey, diagrams of whaling ships, helpful information on whaling and life in the 1800s, and evocative illustrations. It's clearly a labor of love for the author & illustrator. Any abridgement has to cut much of Melville's delightful detail (I love the line in the very first paragraph about "stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off"), but this abridgement is particularly well done; preserving much of the flavor of the original language, Mr Needles has put (shortened) versions of the original text in one (old-fashioned-looking) typeface, and bridges between these in italics. I think this will whet my kids' appetite for reading the "real thing."
    Moby Dick The Whale, Volume II (Large Print)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Moby Dick The Whale, Volume II (Large Print)
      Herman Melville
      Manufacturer: ReadHowYouWant.com
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      Melville, HermanMelville, Herman | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      Font Size 16 BoldFont Size 16 Bold | Alternative Formats | Formats | Books
      Similar Items:
      1. Moby Dick The Whale, Volume I (Large Print) Moby Dick The Whale, Volume I (Large Print)

      ASIN: 1425046592
      Release Date: 2006-12-01

      Book Description

      This is a classic adventurous novel by Herman Melville with metaphysical conjecture.
      Moby Dick (Great Illustrated Classics)
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • Great Adventure
      • A whale of a story.
      • The Must Read Book
      • The Adventure of A Lifetime
      • Moby Dick
      Moby Dick (Great Illustrated Classics)
      Herman Melville , and Shirley Bogart
      Manufacturer: Abdo Publishing Company
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Library Binding

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      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars Great Adventure.......2007-03-08

      In the story Moby Dick by Herman Melville the two main characters are Ishimael and Ahab the captain. They both had a conflict they had to over come. The first character is a researcher, Ishimael. One character trait he had was intelligence. This is because he had to lead the crew without them dying. The other trait he had was courage. I think this because he was the only one on that boat for research.

      The other character is a captain on the pequod named Ahab. I think one of his character traits is bold hearted. I think this because he had to lead his crew on a small boat so they wouldn't die from the great whale. His other character trait is brave. I think this because he had to lead his team though the huge waves and the whale without dying so they could live.

      They had to overcome a conflict. One conflict is Moby Dick broke the pequod. Then the rest of the crew had to go on a little row boat. The other conflict was most of the crew dies from the great whale when Moby Dick strikes the "pequod" and most of the crew members with it. Then Ishmael and Ahab have to go on one row boat, with one harpoon.

      The two themes in this story were courage and community. One of the themes was courage. This is because you have to be brave to not die from the great whale and have to catch it. The crew has to work together as a community to stay alive. Will they live or die?



      5 out of 5 stars A whale of a story........2007-02-19

      It is so cool when you read a good book like Moby Dick and learn new things to help with all of what you need in life you can learn many things from a book like this I loved it,I'm sure you will.

      5 out of 5 stars The Must Read Book.......2006-05-23

      Dear readers around the world,

      The book Moby Dick gives you reasons why you should be on the sea and what's fun. I mean, come on you have to read this book. Queequeg is one of the main characters in the story and he is a cannibal. The book Moby Dick is so great each member of my family has a copy of it. I love this book so much that we own every different author's book. For all of you who like exciting, suspenseful, and adventuresome stories about men trying to kill whales for a living, this is the book for you to read.

      5 out of 5 stars The Adventure of A Lifetime.......2006-02-02

      Moby Dick is the tongue-twisting tale of young school teacher,
      Ishmael who joins up with his enigmatic partener, Queequeg who
      worships a figurine called Yojo, but when they join The Peoqu-
      od. Their lives are forever diminshined by the twisted Captain
      Ahab who is in search of a dangerous yet intelluctal whale by t-
      he name of Moby Dick who bit his leg off and is left with a woo-
      den pegleg.

      Now, wherever the Great Illustrated Classics are, you better get
      'em and learn about classics you've missed because Herman Melvi-
      lle, Charlotte Bronte, Alexandre Dumas, Daniel Denfoe, Charles Dickens, and Robert Louis Stevenston and many more are just a
      bunch of good classics that faced many hardships toward ink and
      paper to write celebrated classics, and Moby Dick is one of 'em!

      Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1851)

      to

      4 out of 5 stars Moby Dick.......2005-11-08

      This book was very interesting for me. It had lots of up and down rising actions and lots of conflicts. The story is mainly about Captain Ahab tring to get his revenge on this bellicose whale named Mody Dick. Also at the end, there is a cataclysm that brings everything down and ends the story. I would recommend this book to kids who like adventure or travel stories. There are lots of lesson's from this book. One of the lessons is "Tring to revenge others can cause your death"
      The Commodore and the Whale: The Lost Victories of Thomas Ap Catesby Jones
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        The Commodore and the Whale: The Lost Victories of Thomas Ap Catesby Jones
        Frank W. Gapp
        Manufacturer: Vantage Pr
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        ASIN: 053311697X

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