Home Moby-Dick: Or the Whale by Herman Melville; G. Thomas Tanselle (Editor); Hershel Parker (Editor) (ISBN: 9780810119116)

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Moby-Dick: Or the Whale Paperback - 2001

Name: Moby-Dick, or The Whale: 150th Anniversary Edition (Melville)
Price: 5.90 USD
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ISBN: 9780810119116

by Herman Melville; G. Thomas Tanselle (Editor); Hershel Parker (Editor)

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About this book

Melville's classic was first published in England as three volumes titled The Whale in October 1851. Slow sales of Melville's previously books convinced Publisher L. Richard Bentley to reduce the printing to only 500 copies, and of that, only 300 sold in the first 4 months. The remaining unbound sheets were bound in a cheaper casing in 1852, and in 1853 there were still enough remaining sheets to again bind into an even cheaper edition.

Melville changed the title to Moby Dick a month later, November 1851, when the American Version was published in one volume by Harper & Brothers in NY. Of the 2,951 copies printed, 125 were review copies. About 1,500 sold in 11 days, but then sales slowed to less than 300 the next year. After two years copies of the first edition were still available, and almost 300 were destroyed in the 1853 fire of Harper's warehouse. Most of the first editions have orange end-papers, although there are 2 known volumes with rare white-endpapers.

Because of Nineteenth-century printing practices, and the time-lapse between when the first-editions were published and Melville became collectible, oxidized paper, bumped and chipped spines, and brittle wrappers are all common for even the most expensive and collectible of these books, which can sell from $35,000 to $100,000. Also, expect heavy wear and maybe even minor repair. Another collectible edition is the 1930 first edition illustrated by Rockwell Kent, a three-volume set published by the Lakeside Press with acetate dust jackets in an aluminum slipcase. These range in value from $9,000 to $11,000.

A total of 3,215 copies of Moby-Dick were sold during Melville's life (he died in 1891). Today, Moby-Dick is considered one of the greatest American novels. -

From the publisher

This edition of Moby-Dick, released in honor of the book's sesquicentennial, is the authoritative text of one of the world's great adventure stories. A crew of whalers sets out in pursuit of a fierce white whale. Their names ring through the canon of American literature: Ishmael, the narrator; Queequeg, a South Seas harpooner; Starbuck, the sober and serious chief mate; and above all Captain Ahab, part-Faust and part-Job, obsessed with the destruction of his foe. This text of Moby-Dick is an Approved Text of the Center for Scholarly Editions (Modern Language Association of America).

From the rear cover

This edition of Moby- Dick, released in honor of the book's 150th anniversary, is the authoritative text of one of the world's great adventure stories. A crew of whalers sets out in pursuit of a fierce white whale that had cost their captain his leg on a previous expedition. Their names ring through the canon of American literature: Ishmael, the narrator; Queenpeg, a South Seas harpooner; Starbuck, the sober and serious chief mate; and above all Captain Ahab, part Faust and part Job, leading his men to the ends of the earth- and the destiny he will share with his foe. Melville was heavily influenced and inspired by his experiences at sea; first as a young cabin boy on the whaler, Achushnet, and later in the US Navy sailing the Atlantic and South Seas. Typee and its sequel, Omoo, were accounts of his capture and subsequent captivity at the hands of a tribe of cannibals in the South Pacific Marquesas Islands. Both works were highly successful and thus the lukewarm reaction to Moby- Dick upon its release in 1851 was a blow to Melville, who had set out to write a "mighty book" on a "mighty theme." It was not until the 1920's that Moby- Dick began to finally receive the critical attention it richly deserved. Today, Moby- Dick is recognized as one of the premier epics in American literary history and indeed the ultimate tale of obsession and revenge. This text of Moby-Dick is an Approved Text of the Center for Scholarly Editions (Modern Language Association of America).

First Edition Identification

Melville's classic was first published by L. Richard Bentley in England in 1851 as a three-volume set entitled The Whale. Only 500 copies were printed.

The US version, published a month later in November 1851 by Harper & Brothers, titled Moby Dick had 2,951 in the first printing. The U.S. version contained substantial textual differences even aside from the prominent change of title, including 35 passages that were wholly deleted from the English version.

Details

Title Moby-Dick: Or the Whale
Author Herman Melville; G. Thomas Tanselle (Editor); Hershel Parker (Editor)
Binding Paperback
Edition Reprint
Pages 573
Volumes 1
Language ENG
Publisher Northwestern University Press, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
Date 2001-09
ISBN 9780810119116 / 0810119110
Weight 1.5 lbs (0.68 kg)
Dimensions 8.54 x 5.74 x 1.27 in (21.69 x 14.58 x 3.23 cm)
Library of Congress subjects Sea stories, Psychological fiction
Library of Congress Catalog Number 2001044114
Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Citations

Univ PR Books for Public Libry, 01/01/2002, Page 80

About the author

HERMAN MELVILLE (1819-1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick. His first three books gained much contemporary attention (the first, Typee, becoming a bestseller), and after a fast-blooming literary success in the late 1840s, his popularity declined precipitously in the mid-1850s and never recovered during his lifetime. When he died in 1891, he was almost completely forgotten. It was not until the "Melville Revival" in the early 20th century that his work won recognition, especially Moby-Dick, which was hailed as one of the literary masterpieces of both American and world literature. He was the first writer to have his works collected and published by the Library of America.

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Moby-Dick, or The Whale: 150th Anniversary Edition (Melville)

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Northwestern University Press. Used - Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner’s name, short gifter’s inscription or light stamp. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included.