Moby Dick; or, The Whale

Moby Dick is a novel by author Herman Melville, published in London in October 1851 as "The Whale" and a month later in New York City as "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale". Moby Dick is generally regarded as Melville's magnum opus and one of the greatest American novels. The narrator, "Call me Ishmael.", tells the story and final voyage of Ahab, captain of the whaling vessel Pequod, who is still recovering from an encounter with a large whale that resulted in the loss of his leg. That whale's name is Moby Dick. The Pequod sets sail, and the crew is soon informed that this journey will be unlike their other whaling missions: this time, Ahab intends to hunt and kill the beastly Moby Dick no matter the cost.