Herman Melville

A sea adventure, a study of evil, and a cast of fascinating characters, including the crazed captain who is obsessed with hunting down the whale that maimed him - Moby Dick is all of this and more. Based on the author's experiences as a sailor, Herman Melville's probing look into the human heart has been read and analyzed from every angle, including the most absurd. The tragic tale is looked at afresh in this Ignatius Critical Edition, which examines the background and other writings of the author and provides his essay on a work by his literary friend Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Ignatius Critical Editions represent a tradition-oriented alternative to popular textbook series such as the Norton Critical Editions or Oxford World Classics, and are designed to concentrate on traditional readings of the Classics of world literature. While many modern critical editions have succumbed to the fads of modernism and post-modernism, this series will concentrate on tradition-oriented criticism of these great works. Edited by acclaimed literary biographer, Joseph Pearce, the Ignatius Critical Editions will ensure that traditional moral readings of the works are given prominence, instead of the feminist, or deconstructionist readings that often proliferate in other series of 'critical editions'. As such, they represent a genuine extension of consumer-choice, enabling educators, students and lovers of good literature to buy editions of classic literary works without having to 'buy into' the ideologies of secular fundamentalism. The series is ideal for anyone wishing to understand great works of western civilization, enabling the modern reader to enjoy these classics in the company of some of the finest literature professors alive today. Contributors to this Volume: Robert Alexander Mitchell Kalpakgian Joseph Pearce Mary R. Reichardt Stephen Zelnick

Bjørn Alex Herrman ble tildelt Brageprisen 2009 for sin oversettelse av denne romanen. Dette er en stor klassiker, for mange en av tidenes største, som likevel var nærmest ukjent før begynnelsen av det 20. århundret. Først da, med sin voldsomme modernitet, fant den gjenklang i verdenskrigene og revolusjonenes tidsalder. "Moby-Dick" kan leses som en vanvittig spennende, eventyrlig og altomfattende bok om hvalfangst eller havet. Samtidig er den så mye mer. For utover den spinn gale kaptein Akabs innbitte jakt på den hvite hvalen, utkrystalliserer det seg en annen søken: mennesket, tvunget om bord på en ferd som forblir et stort mysterium. Det handler om tro, tvil og erkjennelsens vesen. Her er det stadig rom for nye fortolkninger. "Moby-Dick" utkom første gang i 1851. Dette mesterverket foreligger i en helt ny oversettelse til norsk med forord av Jan Kjærstad. "Bjørn Alex Herrman maktet å gjøre Melvilles språk fullt av liv og poesi på norsk, ikke minst takket være et rikt vokabular og en imponerende oppfinnsomhet i valg av ord og uttrykk." Fredrik Wandrup, Dagbladet "Det er ikke ofte vi opplever at en roman oversatt til norsk kan kalles et kunststykke. Denne er det." Jonny Halberg, Morgenbladet

It was an obsession that would destroy them all... On a cold December night, a young man called Ishmael rents a room at an inn in Massachusetts. He has come from Manhattan to the north-east of America to sign up for a whaling expedition. Later that same night, as Ishmael is sleeping, a heavily tattooed man wielding a blade enters his room. This chance meeting is just the start of what will become the greatest adventure of his life. The next day, Ishmael joins the crew of a ship known as the Pequod. He is approached by a man dressed in rags who warns him that, if he sails under the command of Captain Ahab, he may never come back. Undaunted, Ishmael returns early the next morning and leaves for the high seas. For the crew of the Pequod, their voyage is one of monetary gain. For Captain Ahab, however, it is a mission driven by hatred, revenge, and his growing obsession with the greatest creature of the sea.

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 encyclopaedia of whaling lore and legend, the book can be seen as part of its author's lifelong meditation on America. Written with wonderfully redemptive humour, Moby-Dick is also a profound enquiry into character, faith and the nature of perception.

Call me Ishmael. These three famous words begin one of the most epic novels ever written, a tale of one obsessed captain, his doomed crew and an elusive white whale named Moby-Dick. The massive original, however, can be very hard for young readers to navigate. This beautifully abridged and adventure-filled version will thrill children and whet their appetite for the complete work - when they are ready to tackle it.

Melville's tale of the whaling industry, and one captain's obsession with revenge against the Great White Whale that took his leg. Classics Illustrated tells this wonderful tale in colorful comic strip form, providing an excellent introduction for younger readers. Also includes theme discussions and study questions.

In Herman Melville's classic tale of revenge, Ishmael tells his story of becoming a whaler on the Pequod. When Ishmael and his unexpected friend Queequeg join Captain Ahab's hunt for Moby Dick, the voyage of a lifetime turns into tragedy. The adventures of sailing the seas on the hunt for the great white whale is retold in the Calico Illustrated Classics adaptation of Melville's Moby Dick. Calico Chapter Books is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO Group. Grades 3-8.