Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

I’m pretty sure I was the only kid in 11th grade who read every word of Moby-Dick—plus every word of the CliffsNotes. My teacher, Mr. Briggs, was a sailor, and he brought Ishmael’s tale to life for all of us. I think of Moby-Dick every time I’m in the Berkshires and spy the whale-shaped Mount Greylock, supposedly an inspiration for Herman Melville’s novel. The author’s home, Arrowhead, lies in nearby Pittsfield and is open seasonally for tours. I'm hoping that the next time I plow through Moby-Dick cover-to-cover, it will be during one of the marathon readings held each year at Mystic Seaport and the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Participating as a reader is on my bucket list! —Kim Knox Beckius, Yankee travel editor

In part, Moby-Dick is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, more than an encyclopedia of whaling lore and legend, Moby-Dick is a haunting, mesmerizing, and important social commentary populated with several of the most unforgettable and enduring characters in literature. Written with wonderfully redemptive humor, Moby-Dick is a profound and timeless inquiry into character, faith, and the nature of perception.

This edition contains the definitive text of Moby-Dick based on the Northwestern-Newberry edition. It also features an introduction by Andrew Delbanco and explanatory commentary by Tom Quirk.