Earlier this morning I was reminded by Google's search engine drawing that today we celebrate 161 years of Moby-Dick . . . or The Whale . . . if you will. Personally, as a riley adolescent, I was not a big fan of reading. Then I read Moby-Dick and my life changed forever.
Paying attention to many things that are Herman Melville, one thing that has connected me over the years was that he lived on Wall Street in New York City for a period of his life. And as those of you who follow my own writing know, much of what I pen revolves around Wall Street.
The American classic Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville was first published in 1851. It is considered to be one of the Great American Novels and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Ishmael soon learns that Ahab has one purpose on this voyage: to seek out Moby Dick, a ferocious, enigmatic white sperm whale. In a previous encounter, the whale destroyed Ahab's boat and bit off his leg, which now drives Ahab to take revenge.
Moby-Dick has been classified as American Romanticism. It was first published by Richard Bentley in London on October 18, 1851, in an expurgated three-volume edition titled The Whale, and weeks later as a single volume, by New York City publisher Harper and Brothers as Moby-Dick; or, The Whale on November 14, 1851. The book initially received mixed reviews, but Moby-Dick is now considered part of the Western canon, and at the center of the canon of American novels.
Happy Birthday Moby-Dick . . . you really made our world a better place!
