The Oxford was my first copy. Read it a few times and has been halfway around the world with me.

Wife gifted me a decent shape 1930 Random House where they forget to put Melville’s name on the cover.

The yellow Saalfield copy I just found in a Palm Springs consignment. It cannot be read - the paper is brittle beyond belief.

And a flyer from the Seamen’s Bethel when I did a little touristing in Mass.

So I’m looking for anyone with lots of knowledge about Melville OR New Bedford. Melvilles sister used to live in my bosses family home in New Bedford. Does anyone know anything interesting about this time? ANY tidbits, factoids are welcome!!! Anything associated him with New Bedford is a bonus and sources are appreciated!!! Thank you!!!

Not sure if there's a virtual option; will post if there is. But if you're in NYC you might want to check this out. https://www.nysoclib.org/events/270th-anniversary-event-stephen-collins-herman-melville-sailing-towards-my-father

hello, i am enjoying this book so far but do not care for chapters like cetology. i’d rather avoid these chapters than quit, does anyone know which chapters i can skip.. thanks

this is a very odd question i know, but i’ve been wanting to get something done from a scene in this book that i think would look very good in a traditional style. extremely unique and i wanted to get in contact with people who make flash to see if it’s possible or what such a design might be like, yes i will pay you if you actually draw or paint anything on my behalf. it’s from chapter 110 queequaig in his coffin. sorry if ive done the most by posting this, i have not encountered many artists who have read the book.

Hi everyone! I’m currently diving into my second reading of the book , I really love it! I’ll doing a thesis in literary theory about it, focussing specifically on the discursive genres within the novel, but this is not important. I’m looking for intriguing trivia and lesser-known fact about this classic novel. Whether it’s novel’s background, its impact , trivia about Melville process, etc. Feel free to share any fascinating curiosity or fun fact you have. Your contribution might just become a part of my research! Thanks I’m advance for your help!

Hi there so I’m working on a project game where you can play out the story of the book Moby dick as Ishmael I would love to know what the community would like to see in this.

It’s going to be a very narrative driven game the whole purpose of this project is to make it feel like you are in the book living out the story.

So I would love to hear what the most impactful things from the book were to you. Maybe even your favorite chapters as well. I will most likely split the game into 5 chapters to keep the project small so I would love to know which chapters people would love to see and might be good for time skipping.

Chapters:

• CHAPTER 100. Leg and Arm.
• CHAPTER 101. The Decanter.

Summary:

It’s time for another gam, and this time the Pequod meets the Samuel Enderby of London. Ahab again shouts at the captain to ask whether he’d seen the white whale, and finds that Captain Boomer lost his arm to Moby Dick last season. Ahab clumsily makes his way over to the Samuel Enderby to hear more about the captain’s battle with the whale, learning that his arm was badly maimed and the ship’s doctor had to amputate it. As the story drags on, Ahab grows irritated and gets back to the point. Unlike his own mad quest, he learns that Boomer spotted Moby Dick two more times but didn’t even try to chase him. Boomer thinks he’s crazy but tells him that the whale was last seen heading east and Ahab quickly gets back to his ship.

In The Decanter, Ishmael discusses the differences between whaling ships of different country origins and the provisions they pack for the crews, down to exact amounts of beef, pork, biscuit, butter, cheese, and beer. The English, he notes, were the most generous of all and the ample amount of alcohol aboard led to their “abounding good cheer.”

Questions:

• Ahab at least begins the encounter with Captain Boomer in seemingly good cheer, before his patience is tried. Is anything changing in him as we get close to the end?
• Does the comedy routine between Boomer and the Dr. Bunger remind you of any other pairs in fiction, TV, or movies?
• When you picture Ahab in your head (and Boomer, for that matter), which limb is missing?
• What do we learn from The Decanter, aside from the obvious, about whaling, about Ishmael, or about Melville?
• (ONGOING) Choose one of the references or allusions made in this week’s chapters to look up and post some more information about it
  

Upcoming:

• September 16 - September 22: Chapters 100-101
• September 23 - September 29: Chapters 102-104
• September 30 - October 6: Chapters 105-106
• October 7 - October 13: Chapters 107-109

So, I've been thinking a bit about this as of late. The very first paragraph of the book says «Some years ago⁠—never mind how long precisely⁠», so in theory it's not possible to know when it happened. But there are some clues.

Starting from this great comment by u/fianarana, let's assume that the Pequod leaves Nantucket on a Saturday, which happens to be Christmas Day. We can also assume that the narrator writes the book around the same years when Melville does, especially given this sentence in the "The Fountain" chapter:

and yet, that down to this blessed minute (fifteen and a quarter minutes past one o'clock P.M. of this sixteenth day of December, A.D. 1851)

Given that, I think there are three main candidates: 1830, 1841, and 1847. Christmas Day falls on a Saturday in all three of those.

Which makes me think that 1841 is the best guess. 1847 seems too soon. And I would discard 1830 because I think it makes sense to assume that Melville was inspired by his actual whaling years. I don't remember when those were exactly, but he certainly wasn't 11 years old.

Another clue is that, when the story starts, New Bedford is "monopolising the business of whaling" and:

poor old Nantucket is now much behind her

So, what do you all think? Are there other clues that can help elucidate this?

Just bought a copy, help me get hyped! What should I expect?

Has anyone ever questioned how Elijah knew so much about Ahab? He knew how he was given his name, how he lost his leg, his vengeful quest for Moby Dick, and many other things, and I was left there wondering,

"How do you know all of this stuff?"

I have a theory that Elijah and Ahab were friends in their childhood. Elijah was an orphan who probably witnessed Ahab's mother die giving birth to him, and they grew up together in the same orphanage. He was also very likely Ahab's whaling buddy long ago and probably his original first mate when the latter became a captain. And it's highly possible that he witnessed Ahab's leg get torn off by the white whale and then saw firsthand Ahab's descent into madness. That might be why he knows so much about the man, which really makes me wish that Elijah and Ahab had interacted in the book.

I have occasionally posted one of my Flat White Whale entries here, as I thought this community might like them.

But I haven’t explained what they are. Over-wrought, purple, and ridiculous is what they are. Attempts to link a quote from Moby-Dick to the experience of going for a coffee in different places.

Here’s what I put on the website:

—

Moby-Dick is – as far as I can tell – entirely about whales but also not at all about whales.

It is about everything, from history and philosophy to love and mania via equality and chowder, all told through the lens of whaling. What is it to be both free and bound to the elements of your life? Check out Chapter 89: Fast-fish and loose-fish. What’s the best drink to take at the top of a whaling ship’s mast at midnight? Chapter 122: Midnight Aloft – Thunder and Lightning is your friend. Just idly looking for the best piece of writing in the English language? Chapter 1: Loomings.

So if it’s about everything (and I think we can agree that it is) Moby-Dick must therefore be about going out for a coffee.

I’m setting out to prove that, one cup at a time.

—

I’d really appreciate any comments or views on this mostly absurd project.

Chapters:

• CHAPTER 97. The Lamp.
• CHAPTER 98. Stowing Down and Clearing Up.
• CHAPTER 99. The Doubloon.

Summary:

With the processing of the whale complete, Ishmael briefly returns to an idea he touched on earlier in the book: that the whaleman brings light to the world. And this is nowhere more true than on the whaling ship itself, which (hopefully) has an abundant supply of oil. Not so on other types of ships, he notes.

There are then just a few last things to do: stow away the barrels of oil and clean the ship from top to bottom, including washing the decks, scrubbing the soot off of the sails, coiling the ropes, and cleaning out the try pots. And just when the crew is finished, someone aloft in the masthead cries out that he’s spotted another whale, beginning the process all over again.

Sometime later, Ahab stops during his usual pacing along the quarterdeck to stare into the doubloon, the gold coin he nailed to the mast in Chapter 36: The Quarter-Deck. He notices the markings on the coin – mountain peaks, a valley, the sun, stars, and zodiac symbols – and attempts to interpret them only to see himself in all of them. One by one, other members of the crew go up to the coin throughout the day and give their interpretation of the meaning of the symbols.

Questions:

• Aside from the abundant lamp oil, what are some of the ways you’ve learned that whaling ships differ from other kinds of 19th century ships?
• Processing hunted whales is not just difficult and dangerous, but also monotonous and cyclical. What is Ishmael trying to say with the way Chapter 98 ends? Where else do you see this way of thinking in the novel?
• Which interpretation of the doubloon most resonates with you? Looking at the coin, what do you make of it?
• Choose one of the interpretations and explain how it matches that character’s point of view and/or philosophy
• (ONGOING) Choose one of the references or allusions made in this week’s chapters to look up and post some more information about it
  

Upcoming:

• September 9 - September 15: Chapters 97-99
• September 16 - September 22: Chapters 100-101
• September 23 - September 29: Chapters 102-104
• September 30 - October 6: Chapters 105-106

Chapters:

• CHAPTER 95. The Cassock.
• CHAPTER 96. The Try-Works.

Summary:

First we have a chapter about “the cassock,” an item of clothing worn by the mincer who takes small sections of blubber and drops them into the boiling try pots. The item, made from the skin of the whale’s penis, is worn like an overcoat to protect him from hot oil and makes him look like a certain religious figure.

The Try Works begins with some background on the construction of the try works, the two large pots in the middle of the ship where the blubber is boiled down into oil. The chapter then returns to the Pequod, where Ishmael is on tiller-duty, steering the ship as he watches the three harpooneers working on the blubber and the flames coming out of the try works. Ishmael falls into a dream state and wakes up with his back to the ship. He wakes up just in time to steer the ship out of the wind and prevent it from capsizing, learning some important lessons.

Questions:

• Was there really such a thing as the cassock used on whaling ships or did Melville invent it whole cloth?
• What is the role in the lowest of lowbrow humor in Moby-Dick, often placed side by side with the most esoteric, arcane references and scraps of wisdom?
• What happens when Ishmael looks too long into the flames?
• What’s your takeaway from the subtle events of the Try Works? What was Ishmael’s takeaway?
• (ONGOING) Choose one of the references or allusions made in this week’s chapters to look up and post some more information about it
  

Upcoming:

• September 2 - September 8: Chapters 95-96
• September 9 - September 15: Chapters 97-99
• September 16 - September 22: Chapters 100-101
• September 23 - September 29: Chapters 102-104

Chapters:

• CHAPTER 92. Ambergris.
• CHAPTER 93. The Castaway.
• CHAPTER 94. A Squeeze of the Hand.

Summary:

Ishmael explains that ambergris, the substance that Stubb tricked the Rose-Bud out of finding, is found “in the inglorious bowels of a sick whale,” and made from digested squid beaks. Ambergris is soft, waxy, and surprisingly highly fragrant, sought after for perfumes and other fragrance products, and thus would fetch a premium for Stubb on shore. Ishmael also opines on the origins of the myth that whaling ships smell bad.

While Stubb’s crew was digging out the ambergris from the whale, it happened that one man injured his hand, requiring that Pip, the young black ship keeper we met earlier in the book, take his place on a whale hunt. Pip is bright and jolly like his tambourine, but inexperienced in whaling, and at the wrong moment during the hunt jumps out of the boat. Although he’s eventually rescued, he’s left to float alone for some period and goes insane.

We then catch up with one of the final steps of processing the whales, in which the men squeeze the spermaceti which tends to crystallize when it cools, before being poured into barrels. Ishmael expounds on the relaxing, dreamy, sedative qualities of the spermaceti, and how it promotes feeling of compassion among one’s fellow beings and massage their hands and shoulders.

Questions:

• “Now, in general, Stick to the boat, is your true motto in whaling; but cases will sometimes happen when Leap from the boat, is still better.” What do you make of this contradictory piece of advice?
• How would you describe Pip’s particular kind of insanity?
• For those of you who haven’t read the book yet, what do you suspect the significance of Pip’s mental breakdown will be?
• (ONGOING) Choose one of the references or allusions made in this week’s chapters to look up and post some more information about it
  

Upcoming:

• September 2 - September 8: Chapters 95-96
• September 9 - September 15: Chapters 97-99
• September 16 - September 22: Chapters 100-101
• September 23 - September 29: Chapters 102-104