Moby Dick (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

( 438 )
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Paperback
$8.95
BN.com price
$9.95 List Price (Save 10%)
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$1.99
$9.95 List Price (Save 80%)
Usually ships within 1-2 business days
All (26)  
Used (21)  
New (5)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 26 (3 pages)
$1.99
(Save 80%)
Books Squared
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4093)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Good
Only lightly used. Book has minimal wear to cover and binding. A few pages may have small creases and minimal underlining. Book selection as BIG as Texas.

Ships from: Dallas, TX

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 80%)
Blue Cloud Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(2154)

Condition: Like New
This book is almost new and shows only very slight signs of wear. Blue Cloud Books ??? Hot deals from the land of the sun.

Ships from: Phoenix, AZ

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 80%)
RiverCityBooks
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(2163)

Condition: Acceptable
Minor markings (underlining, etc.) inside book. ACCEPTABLE with noticeable wear to cover and pages. Binding intact. We offer a no hassle guarantee on all our items. Orders are ... generally shipped no later than next business day. We offer a no hassle guarantee on all our items. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Tualatin, OR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 80%)
Blue Cloud Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(2154)

Condition: Very Good
This book shows minor wear and is in very good condition. Blue Cloud Books ??? Hot deals from the land of the sun.

Ships from: Phoenix, AZ

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 80%)
Blue Cloud Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(2154)

Condition: Acceptable
Blue Cloud Books ??? Hot deals from the land of the sun.

Ships from: Phoenix, AZ

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 80%)
Goodwill Discount Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(639)

Condition: Good
Good shape, medium wear.

Ships from: North Las Vegas, NV

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$2.50
(Save 75%)
AGood_Book TX
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(616)

Condition: Acceptable
2003 Paperback Acceptable Cover slightly creased, Some pages slightly creased, slight bend in the book.

Ships from: Waco, TX

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.88
(Save 61%)
Textbookcenter.com
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(45269)

Condition: Very Good
SHIPS FAST! via UPS(AK/HI Priority Mail) within 24 hrs/ used sticker/some hilite

Ships from: Columbia, MO

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$4.99
(Save 50%)
Paws, Not Claws! Associates
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(10)

Condition: Good
Paperback Reader copy Later printing of Barnes & Noble Classics Paperback Edition-2003. Author: Herman Melville. The outer cover has shelf wear and corner curls and a spine ... crease. The spine is tight. The edges have light soil. The last 125 pages of text are slightly waved, as if exposed to water. There is NO odor. The rest of the text is bright, crisp and unmarked. 706 pages. -We welcome and respond promptly to customer inquiries about the books we offer for sale. We grade conservatively, package securely and ship immediately. Excellent customer service. Satisfaction guaranteed. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Ithaca, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$5.75
(Save 42%)
Crashing Rocks Bookstore
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(0)

Condition: Good
PAPERBACK Good 1593080182 Used, in good condition. Book only. May have interior marginalia or previous owner's name.

Ships from: Punta Gorda, FL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 26 (3 pages)
Close
Sort by
NOOK Book (eBook)
$3.99
BN.com price

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Need a NOOK? Explore Now

All Available Formats + Editions

Marketplace From
BN.com
See more formats + editions

More About This Book

Overview

Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:

  • New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars
  • Biographies of the authors
  • Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
  • Footnotes and endnotes
  • Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
  • Comments by other famous authors
  • Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations
  • Bibliographies for further reading
  • Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.

On a previous voyage, a mysterious white whale had ripped off the leg of a sea captain named Ahab. Now the crew of the Pequod, on a pursuit that features constant adventure and horrendous mishaps, must follow the mad Ahab into the abyss to satisfy his unslakeable thirst for vengeance. Narrated by the cunningly observant crew member Ishmael, Moby-Dick is the tale of the hunt for the elusive, omnipotent, and ultimately mystifying white whale—Moby Dick.

On its surface, Moby-Dick is a vivid documentary of life aboard a nineteenth-century whaler, a virtual encyclopedia of whales and whaling, replete with facts, legends, and trivia that Melville had gleaned from personal experience and scores of sources. But as the quest for the whale becomes increasingly perilous, the tale works on allegorical levels, likening the whale to human greed, moral consequence, good, evil, and life itself. Who is good? The great white whale who, like Nature, asks nothing but to be left in peace? Or the bold Ahab who, like scientists, explorers, and philosophers, fearlessly probes the mysteries of the universe? Who is evil? The ferocious, man-killing sea monster? Or the revenge-obsessed madman who ignores his own better nature in his quest to kill the beast?

Scorned by critics upon its publication, Moby-Dick was publicly derided during its author’s lifetime. Yet Melville’s masterpiece has outlived its initial misunderstanding to become an American classic of unquestionably epic proportions.

Includes an extensive Dictionary of Sea Terms (37 pages).

Carl F. Hovde taught at Columbia University for thirty-five years. An editor for the Princeton University Press edition of Henry David Thoreau, he has also written about Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry James, and William Faulkner.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781593080181
  • Publisher: Barnes & Noble
  • Publication date: 5/1/2003
  • Pages: 752
  • Sales rank: 19,404
  • Lexile: 0340L (what's this?)
  • Series: Barnes & Noble Classics Series
  • Product dimensions: 5.19 (w) x 8.00 (h) x 1.50 (d)

Meet the Author

Herman Melville
Herman Melville's legend is as mammoth and elusive as the whale that established it. The author's Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale stands as one of literature's greatest epics, a story of mythological proportions that was grounded in real life and a new way of storytelling. Melville's work, underappreciated in its time, remains as much subject to debate and interpretation as it was when he first caught the public eye with his South Seas adventure, Typee, in 1846.

Biography

Herman Melville was born in August 1, 1819, in New York City, the son of a merchant. Only twelve when his father died bankrupt, young Herman tried work as a bank clerk, as a cabin-boy on a trip to Liverpool, and as an elementary schoolteacher, before shipping in January 1841 on the whaler Acushnet, bound for the Pacific. Deserting ship the following year in the Marquesas, he made his way to Tahiti and Honolulu, returning as ordinary seaman on the frigate United States to Boston, where he was discharged in October 1844. Books based on these adventures won him immediate success. By 1850 he was married, had acquired a farm near Pittsfield, Massachussetts (where he was the impetuous friend and neighbor of Nathaniel Hawthorne), and was hard at work on his masterpiece Moby-Dick.

Literary success soon faded; his complexity increasingly alienated readers. After a visit to the Holy Land in January 1857, he turned from writing prose fiction to poetry. In 1863, during the Civil War, he moved back to New York City, where from 1866-1885 he was a deputy inspector in the Custom House, and where, in 1891, he died. A draft of a final prose work, Billy Budd, Sailor, was left unfinished and uncollated, packed tidily away by his widow, where it remained until its rediscovery and publication in 1924.

Author biography courtesy of Penguin Group (USA).

    1. Date of Birth:
      August 1, 1819
    2. Place of Birth:
      New York, New York
    1. Date of Death:
      September 28, 1891
    2. Place of Death:
      New York, New York
    1. Education:
      Attended the Albany Academy in Albany, New York, until age 15

Read an Excerpt

From Carl F. Hovde's Introduction to Moby-Dick

It is clear that Melville is not Ahab, nor is he Ishmael, though here the relationship is more complicated. "Call me Ishmael," chapter I begins: The borrowed name lets us know that he will tell us only what he wants to, and that he is a man apart from his fellows. The biblical Ishmael is the illegitimate son of Abraham by Rebecca's servant Hagar, and even though the Lord is good to Ishmael later in Genesis, his half-brother, Isaac, inherits the Lord's covenant through their father (Genesis 16, 17, 21, and 25).

Melville's narrator promptly describes dark thoughts approaching self-destruction: He pauses before coffin warehouses and follows every funeral he meets. But in the novel things don't remain so grim for long. Just as the Lord in Genesis is good to Ishmael despite his illegitimacy, so Melville's Ishmael floats to rescue with his best friend's burial box. The image of death has become the means to life, a change typical of Melville's density of view and sense of ambiguity. And the narrator's depressions spoken of at the beginning are modulated by the very language in which they are described: He is serious in describing his "spleen" and the "drizzly November" in his soul, but he presents them in a way that masks the pain even as it bodies it forth. The joking tone in which that account is developed is one we hear very often from the narrator even when he speaks of serious things.

The Ishmael we hear at the beginning is in some ways the book's most illusive character because, just as the biblical name suggests an outsider, a wanderer of sorts, he wanders in and out of the novel's narrative voice as it moves along. In the early chapters he is fully present as a character as he leads us toward the Pequod, but once on board he soon melds into the crew as his storytelling duties are taken over by the much more knowledgeable narrator whose arrival is not announced, but whose presence is clear as early as chapter XXIX when we overhear an exchange between Ahab and Stubb, the second mate.

They are on the quarterdeck, where Ishmael, as a common seaman, has no right to be unless working, and even if he were he could not overhear Stubb's private thoughts as he descends into the cabin. There is much in the book that Ishmael the crew member could not see or overhear: conversations between the ship's officers, Ahab's behavior at dinner with his officers, to say nothing of Ahab's private thoughts in a dramatic monologue complete with stage directions. In "Sunset" (chap. XXXVII), the scene is "The cabin; by the stern windows; Ahab sitting alone, and gazing out." As in the preceding chapter, "The Quarter Deck" (chap. XXXVI), we have suddenly changed literary genres-we are for a short time in a play, not a novel.

As the action requires of him, Ishmael now and then returns as a man with a particular role on the ship, someone who could not have the wider knowledge we are often given. In chapter LXXII he is at one end of a rope with Queequeg at the other; in chapter XCIV he is squeezing coagulated oil back into liquid; in chapter XCVI he almost capsizes the ship; in the Epilogue he is floating with Queequeg's coffin so that the ship Rachel can bring him back to tell the story.

These are inconsistencies, but how bothersome are they? Most readers have not been much troubled. Both narrators have the same voice and personality-one simply becomes the other, and it is best to think of them as the Ishmael who acts and the Ishmael who narrates, two functions of the same identity. Often enough we may not even notice the change from one to the other because we are caught up in the action and the strange brilliance of the style.

The book's general narrator occupies a position between Ishmael, on the one hand, and Melville, on the other. We don't confuse Melville with the other two-that shared personality is the author's construction to serve his ends. But it is true that Moby-Dick is an opinionated work, and it is not surprising that the narrator sometimes expresses views that we assume to be Melville's. This is true, for example, in "The Ship" (chap. XVI), where Melville seems to wonder what it will take to turn an old American sea captain into a noble figure worthy of the greatest classical tragedies. The paragraph is a virtual recipe for what Melville will do in creating Ahab later in the book, so much so that he might have written it after he had largely finished with Ahab, and placed it early in the book as a sign of what is to come.

There are also passages in which the narrator expresses directly to the reader opinions that are appropriate to the text and are views that Melville clearly held. After explaining how property rights are established after a dead whale is temporarily abandoned, he asks, "What to the ostentatious smuggling verbalists are the thoughts of thinkers but Loose-Fish? What is the great globe itself but a Loose-Fish! And what are you, reader, but a Loose-Fish and a Fast-Fish, too?" We should be annoyed if we thought that the story line were there only to set us up for the generalization, but Melville's gifts as a storyteller prevent this: The comment rises from the action. While the passage is not about Ahab, it implies what is wrong with him-in his arrogance and isolation he denies the inevitable interdependence of personal identity and community, one of the novel's great themes.

In a novel where ambition reaches out to some of the largest matters-man's position in the natural world, the nature of charismatic rule in its moral dimensions, the very nature of reality itself-there are notable exclusions in Moby-Dick, though not through oversight. Important aspects of daily life are less represented than one would usually expect in a novel: Food, sleep, hygiene, pastimes are hardly present, nor matters of health-important on such a vessel-except for Queequeg's illness.

These exclusions come about because the literary genre closest to Moby-Dick is not the traditional prose narrative, but the epic-a form in which the texture of common life is often treated lightly to allow concentration on the protagonist and heroic action. After the nights and steaks in New Bedford's Spouter Inn and the meals of Mrs. Hussey's Nantucket chowder, there is little detail of this kind once the Pequod leaves the dock, with four-fifths of the novel still to come.

Customer Reviews
Average Rating 3.5
( 438 )

Rating Distribution

If you've bought this product, tell the world how you liked it.
Write a Review
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 441 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 7, 2008

    I Also Recommend:

    REQUIRED READING

    This is a must read. Herman Melville's Moby Dick received largely unfavorable reviews at the time of publication, and it never brought Melville literary acclaim during his lifetime. It was not until critics rediscovered the novel in the 1920s that it began to be viewed as a masterpiece and the apotheosis of the Great American Novel. I also feel this way about K S Michaels' Love Returns..., but that's my opinion.
    My own reception of the book, back in my high school days, paralleled its treatment by the literary establishment. While I enjoyed portions of the text, I could not really get into it and actually ended up abandoning the story a few chapters shy of its conclusion. When I later picked it up again, though, out of curiosity rather than necessity, I was hooked. Whether my own maturity or the motive behind reading it were more influential I cannot say, but I suspect that many who find this novel difficult at first will eventually find it a rewarding and noteworthy read.
    New readers face three key challenges with this text: fears about its length and complexity, discomfort with Melville's loquacious writing style, and confusion over the juxtaposition of plot, factual discourse, and philosophical musings. These are easily overcome if one reads at a comfortable pace and allows oneself to become acquainted with Melville's language, which is at times reminiscent of the learned style employed by authors like Edgar Allen Poe ( a self-published author, by the way). A wonderful way to understand the nuances of the text and truly "get into" the novel is to listen to the audiobook version, narrated masterfully by Frank Muller.
    Reserve this book for a time when you can read it without pressure and expectations. Allow yourself to become immersed in Ishmael's world. Re-read passages that confuse you, and don't be afraid to skip ponderous chapters like "Cetology" if they will prevent you from completing the novel. Whatever you do, though, be sure this is one story you allow yourself to complete, you will be rewarded as you do so.

    14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 8, 2004

    One of the best-I'll miss reading it

    After reading the previous reader reveiws, I'll be brief and to the point. This book should not be read by eighth graders or other persons who are not at the top of their game with regard to their ability to read dificult text. I am over 50 years old and chose to read it for myself, although I found it very intimidating to start. The importance of the detail is when one considers Moby as God or nature the details are an attempt to understand the whale aka God and it can't be done. Now do you get it? Nobody can understand God and consequently nobody can understand the symbol of God as portrayed in this miraculous novel. I will indeed miss reading it.

    8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted March 30, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    An Excellent Read

    It isn't a fast read by any means, and there are many a chapter that could've been wiped clean from the manuscript without any damage to the main story, but this doesn't mean it isn't a good, fun story at its core.

    When I read Moby Dick (for fun, not for a class), I used a highlighter to illuminate interesting, clever, and humorous passages. There is something highlighted on almost every page, even the useless chapters. Just because they don't really add to the story, doesn't mean they can't still be packed with interesting details. I just love learning about new things.

    The writing style, for me, flowed well and was easy to read. It's a style that is fun to read aloud. Moby Dick is a funny book at times, and I don't believe it necessary to scrutinize it as some tome of literary intelligence that many believe or have been taught to believe the book to be.

    The first third of the book is not pointless. One reviewer called the book a boring travelogue, save for the last few chapters, or, the chase.

    The end of the book is the climax. It rises above previous action and suspense to create the...climax. The apex. The apogee. What have you, Moby Dick is a climb. Have you ever spotted a mountain top midway up a mountain? No. It's always at the top.

    In the end, Moby Dick is a journey that you must walk every step of the way through. Read the useless chapters. Don't skim the text. Savor every word. This book is a labor of love from Melville. If you don't want to read it, then don't. Don't complain. If you have to read it for school, get the Sparknotes. But I'll be damned if you're going to give this a one star rating because you didn't finish it and found it boring.

    I don't read Jane Austen novels. They just aren't my style of book. I don't try them, because I know I won't like them. Stick to your guns.

    This is a whaling story. It is a story about sailing and killing whales. It has a lot of information on both subjects. But at its heart, it is an adventurous tale filled with interesting, funny characters, and a vendetta that transcends time.

    Give it a try if you're interested. Keep away if none of this sounds appealing.

    I loved it. Not a full five stars because it isn't perfect, like most everything created by man.

    4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted January 2, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    The idea of this book is timeless the execution is painful

    I have never struggled so hard to get engaged with a book or to even finish a book. It took three trys over 4 years to finish the book. The first 1/3 of the book was totally useless to me and did not bring enough to the end of the book to justify it's existence. If I ever pick the book up again, it will be to read the last 1/3 only. Towards the end there is some humours lines, scenes & situations which were truly enjoyable. I realy wanted to enjoy this book more and was very upset that I couldn't.

    4 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 2, 2010

    Hard to read

    Moby-Dick by Herman Melville is a well known tale about Captain Ahab's pursuit of the whale who maimed him. The story is told by Ishmael who seeks adventure in whaling. He follows Captain Ahab on his quest to find Moby. In the end Captain Ahab's obsession with Moby ends up killing him. I liked the plot of the book which is a sea adventure to find Moby, because I like books about adventures that give me a different view of the world around me. The reasons I choose this book to read, because I had herd about it throughout my life and I was interested in finding out what it was really about. I liked how Captain Ahab had an obsession with this whale, because I like characters who are willing to do crazy things in order to get what they want. I didn't like the fact that I couldn't understand the book at times and had to reread what I had just read over and over again. I feel that the author was overly descriptive and used too many challenging words and phrases. Over all I honestly did not like this book, because it was a difficult book to read, and it was just not the book for me, I lost interest in the story about half way through the book. I wouldn't recommend because it is a challenging book to read, but besides its difficulty level it is a great book.

    3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 9, 2005

    Truly a classic

    No doubt about it, this is a hard book to read. It's beauty, however, lies in that it truly is a book on two levels. On one level, it's a description of whaling. On the second level, it's this intense allegory about...what? That's up to the reader, because nobody can really say they understand what all the symbolism means. The book is loaded with Biblical allusions and names, so it helps to be up on the Bible. It's definitely not light reading, but if you can put in the effort, it's worth it.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 9, 2004

    The Ship of the Self...

    If there were ever a seeming 'complete companion' to the understanding and appreciation of Herman Melville's 'master work' /Moby-Dick/ then this Second Edition of the Norton Critical Edition, edited by Hershel Parker and Harrison Hayford (pub. 2002) must surely be it. Not only does the volume contain the text of the novel (actually a 'romance' as defined by Hawthorne), but it also includes sections titled: 'Melville's Reading and /Moby-Dick/: An Overview and Bibliograpy', a glossary of nautical terms, a pictorial account (with drawings) of the parts of a whaleship, the mast parts, a typical whaleboat, the harpoon and lance, a drawing depicting a large slice of blubber being hauled onto a ship, contemporary engravings of whaling, articles about Melville's works written in his own time about his novels (romances)before /Moby-Dick/, reviews and letters written by Melville (including his famous paean to Nathaniel Hawthorne, 'Hawthorne and His Mosses'), analogues and sources, reviews of /Moby-Dick/ from his own time and from the modern era (1893-1897), and 'A Handful of Critical Challenges' (a selection from insightful and provocative essays which analyze the novel and its possible meanings). The text of the novel (romance) itself has been well foot-noted with helpful information about Melville's textual citations and allusions (example: from text -- '...a terrible prestige of perilousness about such a whale as there did about Rinaldo Rinaldini' [note -- 'Knight in Italian Renaissance epics -Orlando Furioso- (1532) by Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1535) and -Rinaldo- (1562) by Torquato Tasso (1544-1595)'). This novel has been endlessly analyzed and sliced up, picked apart, minced, boiled, strained, reflected upon, peered into, introverted, controverted, inverted, subverted, psychoanalyzed, Marxized, Freudianized, mythologized, anthroplogized, sociologized, mythopoeticized, Biblecized, homoeroticized, and even read for enjoyment. More gain comes from chopping down wood by the acre than whittling by the stick, so the analyzers seem to think. The novel can be read as satire, as allegory (like Spenser's moralistic warning allegories), as love-token (to Nathaniel Hawthorne) with Melville capering about trying to impress his beloved as much as he capered about on those rocks on the top of Monument Mountain back in August 1850 when they first met, and as revelation of Melville's inner self -- actually selves. The ship may be taken as the allegorical symbol of the individual psyche, and thus each of the characters aboard the -Pequod- becomes one of the multiple aspects of Melville's own awarenesses and inclinations. As for the chapters on whales and whaling, the reader will need to absorb those as atmosphere and Melville's ego-intellect wanting to show off. Read them closely for irony and humor and self-jesting at his own predilections for omnivorous reading and extract gathering, as well as an 'outsider's' jibes at academic fussiness and lexicographical loquaciousness. Take your time with this novel...you will learn much the more you think about it and the deeper you plumb its depths. And when you go a-whalin', mind them mouths and jaws, lined with sharpy teeth -- lest you lose a leg and founder in the deep.

    3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 16, 2003

    A Classic, but mostly frivolous

    We have all heard the story of the infamous encounter between Captain Ahab and his nemesis Moby-Dick. I understood it to be a classic and began to read it even though I already saw the movie. The first few chapters had that ominous feeling (Melvilles' brilliant foreshadowing) and purported to promise better things to come. Well, they didn't. Instead Melville drolls on frivolous topics for countless chapters; he literally fills 3/4 of the book with chapters the reader can skip over and still not lose any of the story plot. It took me months to get through his book and it was not until the last three chapters that I realized why this book was a classic. The ending had such a profound impact on me that I have decided to reread Moby-Dick...though not for a long while.

    3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 11, 2008

    Summer Reading

    I have to read this book for summer reading and I hate it. I have not yet finished, but I am struggling through every page! I came up with a schedule on how many chapters I have to read, otherwise I would never be able to finish! One of the worse books I have ever read.

    2 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 30, 2003

    CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME?

    O.K. I READ THE FIRST COUPLE PAGES AND MY THOUGHTS SUMMED UP; 'WHAT DID THIS GUY JUST SAY.' I MAY BE ONLY A TEENAGER, BUT WHAT'S GOOD IS GOOD SO FAR THIS IS BORING. IN ALL FAIRNESS I DIDN'T READ ALL OF IT YET SO IT MIGHT TURN AROUND(I HOPE IT DOES)SO I GAVE IT 3.5 STARS NOT 4 LIKE IT SAYS AT THE TOP.

    2 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 22, 2002

    Great Past

    This book is so up to past that I couldn't take my eyes off the page.I just whanted to keep on reading.This is a great book for a person looking for a sea adventure.

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 5, 2012

    Feedback

    It dies not work at all i want my money back!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 30, 2011

    Glitchy download

    Very glitchy. Download the 2 99 one.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted January 30, 2010

    Insightful, enjoyable, Moby Dick makes the perfect book to read!

    Moby Dick is able to provide readers with both a good story and whaling knowledge. The journey of the Peqoud and its diverse characters will definitely make you want to take a trip around the sea. Full of suspense and humor, Moby Dick makes the perfect book for young adults to read.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 26, 2009

    Wow

    800 pages of boring travelogue, 30 pages of adventurous hunt. Now it's a doorstop.

    1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 4, 2005

    Too Descriptive

    Oh my goodness! I cannot belive how descriptive this Heman Melville is. Moby Dick was critiqued as two big thumbs down when it was originally released. It wasn't until after his death some description madman read it and promoted it to The first American Novel Genius. It should have stayed in the gutters. The story itself is interesting but way too many side streets. I'm on page 433 and they still haven't seen the dang whale. Way too long, way too descriptive. Im going to the library to get the sound recording, just so I can say I finished it. One thing I can say is this book will defintley improve your vocabulary. I needed a dictionary by my side. If you are going to tackle this monster (Pun intended) I recommend the soundrecording, too keep your sanity.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 13, 2000

    the awe that is moby.

    Ah, yes, MOBY....I personally loved the book. Sure, there were lots digressions on the procedures of whaling and other little irrevelent stuff, but what people don't realize is that all the extremely abstruse messages in MOBY need to be hidden. If you strip away all the other stuff, the themes will just be too straight-forward and the reader probably will get a philosophical overload. Plus, is it just me or does anybody else find this book humorous too? I mean, come on, how can one NOT laugh at some of the language that Melville chooses to use? Brilliant! Brilliant! And another thing for people who are reading this as an assignment: read MOBY to read and understand it. DO NOT read it just to say in the end that you've read one of the greatest novels in Ame. history. B/c if you go about it in a more accepting manner, you'll find yourself comprehending it a lot better. If you accomplish this, you will also discover that MOBY is everything you'll EVER need on exam essays. It encompasses so many things: meaning of life, democracy, societal influences, human emotion & spirit, realization of truth--just to name a few. So go! Go read this book. Dance a little jig after you're done.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 9, 1999

    THE GREATEST

    I HAVE JUST STARTED READING THIS BOOK AND SO FAR IT IS VERY GOOD.IF YOU LIKE TO READ THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ BOOK.IT MAY TAKE YOU A WHILE TO READ.SEEING THAT THERE ARE 135 CHAPTERS MAY MAKE YOU WONDER IF IT IS WORTH IT,BUT DON'T WORRY THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT 601 PAGES IN THE WHOLE BOOK.ANYWAY LIKE I SAID,IT IS WORTHWHILE TO READ THIS BOOK,AND IF YOU LIKE TO READ GET A COPY TODAY.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted February 2, 2012

    No wonder it is so Iconic!

    Everyone should have to slog thru this book at least twice in their lives....it's a writing marvel.
    ss

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 23, 2012

    Loved it!

    I've read this book three(!) times and liked it better each time. I have always loved the classics, I am not looking at the fact that they are supposedly "high class" but that they have stood the test of time. Ifound Moby very readable--people didn't have all the entertainment options in the past so novels were padded a bit more with things we now find extraneous which is why they're mostly so long--no 300 pagers for folks before TV! They're more introspective, ditto. So don't be put off by the length, as others have said, take it slowly and don't judge by todays' standards (or by the fact some teacher tried to stuff it down your throat at 14). It is a great book, a look into how people thought in the past and, oh, by the way, a rip roaring adventure which is why Ishmael went off, anyway!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 441 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit