Moby Dick; Or, The Whale.

“I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing": Rare First Edition Of Herman Melville's Moby Dick

Moby Dick; Or, The Whale.

MELVILLE, Herman.

Item Number: 122370

New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1851.

First edition of Melville’s masterpiece. Octavo, bound in full calf by Aquarius, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, morocco spine label, double gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, gilt topstain. In near fine condition. An exceptional example of this cornerstone of American literature.

Initially panned by critics and readers when published in 1851, "in the 20th century Moby Dick would be rediscovered and acknowledged as possibly the greatest of all American novels" (Chronology of American Literature). Arguably the greatest single work in American literature, Moby-Dick was initially “a complete practical failure, misunderstood by the critics and ignored by the public. Nevertheless, Melville’s permanent fame must always rest on the great prose epic of Moby-Dick, a book that has no equal in American literature for variety and splendor of style and for depth of feeling” (DAB).

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