Moby Dick

First published as Moby-Dick; or, The Whale in 1851, Herman Melville's epic tale about obsession and greed shows no signs of losing popularity in the digital age. The book begins as a straightforward narrative in realistic prose. After the first fifteen chapters, it becomes a complex combination of cetology, philosophy, and adventure narrative written in rhapsodic metaphorical style. A profound symbolic study of good and evil, Moby Dick is widely regarded as one of the great American novels.