About This eBook

Title: Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale
Author: Herman Melville (1819–1891)
Original Publication: 1851
Language: English
Category: Classic Literature / Adventure / Psychological Fiction
LoC Class: PS — Language and Literatures: American and Canadian Literature

Description:
Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick stands as one of the greatest works of American literature — a sweeping tale of obsession, revenge, and the eternal struggle between man and nature.

Narrated by the reflective Ishmael, the novel follows the fateful voyage of the Pequod under Captain Ahab, whose relentless pursuit of the great white whale, Moby Dick, becomes a symbol of human defiance and self-destruction. Through vivid descriptions of the sea, whaling life, and philosophical reflection, Melville weaves a story that explores fate, faith, madness, and the limits of human understanding.

Both an adventure story and a profound psychological study, Moby-Dick continues to challenge and inspire readers with its daring style and timeless themes.

Reading Level:
Reading ease score: 73.3 — suitable for readers at approximately the 7th-grade level. The prose is rich yet accessible, offering both narrative excitement and literary depth.

Subjects:

• Whaling — Fiction

• Sea stories

• Psychological fiction

• Ship captains — Fiction

• Adventure stories

• Mentally ill — Fiction

• Ahab, Captain (Fictitious character) — Fiction

• Whales — Fiction

• Whaling ships — Fiction

Credits:
Produced by Daniel Lazarus, Jonesey, and David Widger for Project Gutenberg.

Additional Notes:
Project Gutenberg eBook #15 is considered the highest-quality edition of Moby-Dick in the collection, with #2701 and #2489 as alternate versions. Audio editions include a computer-generated eBook (#9147) and a human-narrated performance (#28794).

Wikipedia Page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick

Release Date: July 1, 2001
Most Recently Updated: September 11, 2025
Copyright Status: Public domain in the United States.