"Moby Dick; or, the Whale" by Herman Melville (Illustrated by Boardman Robinson - introduction by Clifton Fadiman) - Hardcover (w/cloth covers) - Published in 1943 by The Heritage Press - 615 pages (with a number of black & white illustrations) - EXCELLENT condition.  Moby Dick; or, The Whale is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. A contribution to the literature of the American Renaissance, Moby Dick was published to mixed reviews, was a commercial failure, and was out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891. Its reputation as a "Great American Novel" was established only in the 20th century, after the centennial of its author's birth. William Faulkner said he wished he had written the book himself, and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world" and "the greatest book of the sea ever written." Its opening sentence, "Call me Ishmael", is among world literature's most famous.  Melville began writing Moby Dick in February 1850, and finished 18 months later, a year longer than he had anticipated. Melville drew on his experience as a common sailor from 1841 to 1844, including several years on whalers, and on wide reading in whaling literature. The white whale is modeled on the notoriously hard-to-catch albino whale Mocha Dick, and the book's ending is based on the sinking of the whaleship Essex in 1820.  There is only some very minor wear at the top and bottom of the spine (see the scan), but this vintage book is in EXCELLENT condition and almost impossible to find in such nice shape.  No collection of classic fiction is complete without this book. Please see the scan for the spine and the cover so you can judge the condition for yourself (unlike many other booksellers, who post generic scans, the book in my scan is the one you will get). No collection of classic fiction is complete without this book. You can try to buy this book for less money from one of those eBay booksellers with hundreds, if not thousands of negatives (you know the ones I refer to) and be lucky if the book is delivered to you in the stated condition (if you even get it at all), or you can buy it from me and be assured of a prompt delivery and of receiving an item true to the condition indicated. You won't be disappointed. All previous buyers of my classics have been completely satisfied. I have many others available; please check my listings. The book will be sent via Media mail shipping in the USA. I will combine shipping to reduce charges for multiple items. If you purchase more than one item, please request an invoice for the appropriate combined shipping discount. See my auctions and my eBay store for hundreds of books and a wide variety of sports and non-sports collectibles. All items are packed with care to insure safe delivery. Please contact me if you have any questions.

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