Herman Melville

First published in 1851, Melville's masterpiece is, in Elizabeth Hardwicks words, "the greatest novel in American literature." The saga of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal pursuit of the white whale remains a peerless adventure story but one full of mythic grandeur, poetic majesty, and symbolic power. Filtered through the consciousness of the novel's narrator, Ishmael, MODY-DICK draws us into a universe full of fascinating characters and stories, from the noble cannibal Queequeg to the natural history of whales, while reaching existential depths that excite debate and contemplation to this day. Introduction by Elizabeth Hardwick.

Unjustly accused of plotting mutiny, Billy Budd and his accuser are called to give account to the captain. Unable to answer due to a speech impediment, Billy Budd lashes out and accidentally kills his accuser, setting in motion a court martial that sets his life at stake. 166 pages, softcover.

G. Thomas Tanselle, editor. Moby-Dick, Melville's great masterpiece, is presented in the authoritative Northwestern-Newberry text. This epic tale appears along with two other stories of the sea: Redburn, about a young man's initiation into the sailor's life, and White-Jacket, a semi-autobiographical account of experiences in the Navy.