Moby Dick
Moby Dick is an 1851 epic fantasy and historical fiction novel by Herman Melville. The story is set in Massachusetts and Nantucket, in the 19th century. It features Herman Melville (1819-1891), Ishmael and Ahab. Key subjects include mentally ill, Whaling, whales and Great_books_of_the_western_world.
Open Library readers give it an average of 4.0 out of 5 from 194 ratings, and 1,705 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 1,115 editions across 20 languages. On Project Gutenberg it was downloaded 4,574 times in the last 30 days.
It runs to roughly 452 pages — 8–9 hours of reading at an average pace. It is in the public domain, so you can read it free on Project Gutenberg or listen to the 24 h 37 min LibriVox audiobook.
About Moby Dick
"Command the murderous chalices! Drink ye harpooners! Drink and swear, ye men that man the deathful whaleboat's bow -- Death to Moby Dick!" So Captain Ahab binds his crew to fulfil his obsession -- the destruction of the great white whale. Under his lordly but maniacal command the Pequod's commercial mission is perverted to one of vengeance. To Ahab, the monster that destroyed his body is not a creature, but the symbol of "some unknown but still reasoning thing." Uncowed by natural disasters, ill omens, even death, Ahab urges his ship towards "the undeliverable, nameless perils of the whale."
Free audiobook
Moby Dick — LibriVox recording, 24 h 37 min in 44 sections.
Public-domain recording by volunteer readers. Listen online, download MP3s or stream from the Internet Archive.
Quick answers
Who wrote Moby Dick?
Moby Dick was written by Herman Melville and first published in 1851.
What genre is Moby Dick?
It is usually shelved as Epic Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Adventure and Victorian Science Fiction.
How long is Moby Dick?
The median edition has 452 pages, about 8–9 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
Is Moby Dick free to read?
Yes. It is in the public domain in the United States and can be read free on Project Gutenberg in EPUB, Kindle and HTML formats.
Is there a free audiobook of Moby Dick?
Yes — LibriVox volunteers recorded it; the recording runs 24 h 37 min.
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