Moby Dick tells the story of Ishmael, a young American who volunteers on the mysterious whaling ship the Pequod. Soon after leaving port, the ship's captain Ahab begins to display strange behavior and Ishmael realizes that his journey on the Pequod just may be his last...
The novel is written as a first-person narrative and includes an extensive amount of colourful, time-period, stylized language and dialogue. The characters, both human and animal, are superbly developed in descriptive detail and the sense of place comes alive in Melville's most famous work, first published in 1851. This gripping adventure tale also includes a deep philosophical and moral undercurrent which is sure to appeal to readers of all genres.
The book has been adapted for the stage, television and film. One of the most well-known film adaptations of Moby Dick was released in 1956 and starred Gregory Peck.
In more recent years, several graphic novels have been published based on Moby Dick. Graphic novel adaptations include:
- Moby Dick by Lew Sayre Shwartz and Dick Giordano
- Moby Dick by Sophie Furse, Penko Gelev and Sotir Gelev
- Moby Dick by Will Eisner
- Moby Dick by Roy Thomas and Pascal Alixe
Moby Dick has also been adapted by several children's authors including Sam Ita who created a pop-up version of the classic work. There is even an online video game that features the great white whale.
