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Moby Dick

Or, The Whale

by Herman Melville

Reading time
15 hr 27 min read
Chapters
137 chapters

Aboard the Pequod, the heavy work of whaling meets the restless force of Captain Ahab’s pursuit.

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About this book

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick; Or, The Whale takes to sea aboard the Pequod, where sailors, mates and captain share the demanding world of whaling. Ropes strain, the ship heels, and the crew works together to cut into an enormous catch. Against this intensely physical life stands Ahab, intent on following a whale’s wake, his speech moving between commands and turbulent reflections.

The novel’s scope reaches beyond the chase. Chapters on whale classification, pictures of whales, the mast-head and the cabin-table place sea adventure alongside close attention to creatures, equipment and shipboard routines. From the inn and chapel of its early chapters to the open-water pursuit, this long narrative makes room for both the practical business of a voyage and the unsettled workings of a captain’s mind.

Why read this?

The prose moves from precise accounts of ropes, hooks and collective labour to Ahab’s feverish, image-rich speech. That contrast offers both the tactile detail of life at sea and a strikingly different register of inward drama.

Contents

  1. Front matter0 min
  2. CHAPTER 135 — The Chase.—Third Day.18 min
  3. CHAPTER 1 — Loomings.11 min
  4. CHAPTER 2 — The Carpet-Bag.7 min
  5. CHAPTER 3 — The Spouter-Inn.29 min
  6. CHAPTER 4 — The Counterpane.8 min
  7. CHAPTER 5 — Breakfast.4 min
  8. CHAPTER 6 — The Street.4 min
  9. CHAPTER 7 — The Chapel.5 min
  10. CHAPTER 8 — The Pulpit.5 min
  11. CHAPTER 9 — The Sermon.18 min
  12. CHAPTER 10 — A Bosom Friend.8 min
  13. CHAPTER 11 — Nightgown.4 min
  14. CHAPTER 12 — Biographical.4 min
  15. CHAPTER 13 — Wheelbarrow.8 min
  16. CHAPTER 14 — Nantucket.4 min
  17. CHAPTER 15 — Chowder.6 min
  18. CHAPTER 16 — The Ship.27 min
  19. CHAPTER 17 — The Ramadan.11 min
  20. CHAPTER 18 — His Mark.7 min
  21. CHAPTER 19 — The Prophet.6 min
  22. CHAPTER 20 — All Astir.5 min
  23. CHAPTER 21 — Going Aboard.5 min
  24. CHAPTER 22 — Merry Christmas.8 min
  25. CHAPTER 23 — The Lee Shore.2 min
  26. CHAPTER 24 — The Advocate.8 min
  27. CHAPTER 25 — Postscript.1 min
  28. CHAPTER 26 — Knights and Squires.6 min
  29. CHAPTER 27 — Knights and Squires.8 min
  30. CHAPTER 28 — Ahab.7 min
  31. CHAPTER 29 — Enter Ahab; to Him, Stubb.6 min
  32. CHAPTER 30 — The Pipe.1 min
  33. CHAPTER 31 — Queen Mab.4 min
  34. CHAPTER 32 — Cetology.26 min
  35. CHAPTER 33 — The Specksnyder.5 min
  36. CHAPTER 34 — The Cabin-Table.11 min
  37. CHAPTER 35 — The Mast-Head.13 min
  38. CHAPTER 36 — The Quarter-Deck.14 min
  39. CHAPTER 37 — Sunset.3 min
  40. CHAPTER 38 — Dusk.2 min
  41. CHAPTER 39 — First Night-Watch.1 min
  42. CHAPTER 40 — Midnight, Forecastle.8 min
  43. CHAPTER 41 — Moby Dick.19 min
  44. CHAPTER 42 — The Whiteness of the Whale.18 min
  45. CHAPTER 43 — Hark!2 min
  46. CHAPTER 44 — The Chart.10 min
  47. CHAPTER 45 — The Affidavit.18 min
  48. CHAPTER 46 — Surmises.5 min
  49. CHAPTER 47 — The Mat-Maker.5 min
  50. CHAPTER 48 — The First Lowering.20 min
  51. CHAPTER 49 — The Hyena.4 min
  52. CHAPTER 50 — Ahab’s Boat and Crew. Fedallah.5 min
  53. CHAPTER 51 — The Spirit-Spout.8 min
  54. CHAPTER 52 — The Albatross.4 min
  55. CHAPTER 53 — The Gam.8 min
  56. CHAPTER 54 — The Town-Ho’s Story.40 min
  57. CHAPTER 55 — Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales.9 min
  58. CHAPTER 56 — Of the Less Erroneous Pictures of Whales, and the True — Pictures of Whaling Scenes.6 min
  59. CHAPTER 57 — Of Whales in Paint; in Teeth; in Wood; in Sheet-Iron; in — Stone; in Mountains; in Stars.5 min
  60. CHAPTER 58 — Brit.5 min
  61. CHAPTER 59 — Squid.5 min
  62. CHAPTER 60 — The Line.7 min
  63. CHAPTER 61 — Stubb Kills a Whale.10 min
  64. CHAPTER 62 — The Dart.3 min
  65. CHAPTER 63 — The Crotch.2 min
  66. CHAPTER 64 — Stubb’s Supper.15 min
  67. CHAPTER 65 — The Whale as a Dish.5 min
  68. CHAPTER 66 — The Shark Massacre.3 min
  69. CHAPTER 67 — Cutting In.4 min
  70. CHAPTER 68 — The Blanket.6 min
  71. CHAPTER 69 — The Funeral.2 min
  72. CHAPTER 70 — The Sphynx.4 min
  73. CHAPTER 71 — The Jeroboam’s Story.11 min
  74. CHAPTER 72 — The Monkey-Rope.8 min
  75. CHAPTER 73 — Stubb and Flask kill a Right Whale; and Then Have a Talk — over Him.11 min
  76. CHAPTER 74 — The Sperm Whale’s Head—Contrasted View.8 min
  77. CHAPTER 75 — The Right Whale’s Head—Contrasted View.6 min
  78. CHAPTER 76 — The Battering-Ram.4 min
  79. CHAPTER 77 — The Great Heidelburgh Tun.3 min
  80. CHAPTER 78 — Cistern and Buckets.8 min
  81. CHAPTER 79 — The Prairie.5 min
  82. CHAPTER 80 — The Nut.4 min
  83. CHAPTER 81 — The Pequod Meets The Virgin.22 min
  84. CHAPTER 82 — The Honor and Glory of Whaling.6 min
  85. CHAPTER 83 — Jonah Historically Regarded.4 min
  86. CHAPTER 84 — Pitchpoling.4 min
  87. CHAPTER 85 — The Fountain.10 min
  88. CHAPTER 86 — The Tail.9 min
  89. CHAPTER 87 — The Grand Armada.24 min
  90. CHAPTER 88 — Schools and Schoolmasters.6 min
  91. CHAPTER 89 — Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish.7 min
  92. CHAPTER 90 — Heads or Tails.5 min
  93. CHAPTER 91 — The Pequod Meets The Rose-Bud.12 min
  94. CHAPTER 92 — Ambergris.5 min
  95. CHAPTER 93 — The Castaway.8 min
  96. CHAPTER 94 — A Squeeze of the Hand.6 min
  97. CHAPTER 95 — The Cassock.2 min
  98. CHAPTER 96 — The Try-Works.9 min
  99. CHAPTER 97 — The Lamp.1 min
  100. CHAPTER 98 — Stowing Down and Clearing Up.5 min
  101. CHAPTER 99 — The Doubloon.12 min
  102. CHAPTER 100 — Leg and Arm.14 min
  103. CHAPTER 101 — The Decanter.9 min
  104. CHAPTER 102 — A Bower in the Arsacides.8 min
  105. CHAPTER 103 — Measurement of The Whale’s Skeleton.5 min
  106. CHAPTER 104 — The Fossil Whale.7 min
  107. CHAPTER 105 — Does the Whale’s Magnitude Diminish?—Will He Perish?8 min
  108. CHAPTER 106 — Ahab’s Leg.5 min
  109. CHAPTER 107 — The Carpenter.5 min
  110. CHAPTER 108 — Ahab and the Carpenter.8 min
  111. CHAPTER 109 — Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin.5 min
  112. CHAPTER 110 — Queequeg in His Coffin.11 min
  113. CHAPTER 111 — The Pacific.2 min
  114. CHAPTER 112 — The Blacksmith.5 min
  115. CHAPTER 113 — The Forge.6 min
  116. CHAPTER 114 — The Gilder.3 min
  117. CHAPTER 115 — The Pequod Meets The Bachelor.4 min
  118. CHAPTER 116 — The Dying Whale.3 min
  119. CHAPTER 117 — The Whale Watch.2 min
  120. CHAPTER 118 — The Quadrant.4 min
  121. CHAPTER 119 — The Candles.13 min
  122. CHAPTER 120 — The Deck Towards the End of the First Night Watch.1 min
  123. CHAPTER 121 — Midnight.—The Forecastle Bulwarks.3 min
  124. CHAPTER 122 — Midnight Aloft.—Thunder and Lightning.0 min
  125. CHAPTER 123 — The Musket.6 min
  126. CHAPTER 124 — The Needle.6 min
  127. CHAPTER 125 — The Log and Line.5 min
  128. CHAPTER 126 — The Life-Buoy.7 min
  129. CHAPTER 127 — The Deck.3 min
  130. CHAPTER 128 — The Pequod Meets The Rachel.7 min
  131. CHAPTER 129 — The Cabin.3 min
  132. CHAPTER 130 — The Hat.8 min
  133. CHAPTER 131 — The Pequod Meets The Delight.2 min
  134. CHAPTER 132 — The Symphony.8 min
  135. CHAPTER 133 — The Chase—First Day.18 min
  136. CHAPTER 134 — The Chase—Second Day.17 min
  137. CHAPTER 135 — The Chase.—Third Day.24 min

Source & rights

Source:
Project Gutenberg
Gutenberg ID:
2701

Digital text sourced from Project Gutenberg and reformatted for reading on Litfy.

View this book on Project Gutenberg