GajimaruClassics.
Moby-DickOn the coverWhalers, J. M. W. Turner, c. 1845
Moby-Dick
A restless sailor signs onto a whaling voyage under Captain Ahab, whose hunt for the white whale that once maimed him curdles into obsession. Part sea-adventure, part encyclopedia, part metaphysical quest.
Character notes and context for the chapter you’ve read.
Wild, funny, strange, and grand, a whaling yarn that keeps swelling into a meditation on everything. Surrender to its digressions and it becomes the most alive book you’ll read.
SettingThe world’s oceans, 1840s
When whale oil lit the lamps of the world, American whaleships sailed multi-year voyages with crews from every corner of the globe. A whaler was a floating factory, a democracy, and a death-trap at once.
On screen & beyond
- John Huston’s film with Gregory Peck (1956)
- Hallmark miniseries (1998)