Moby Dick

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period, Herman Melville (born Melvill, August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891).

The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for vengeance against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg on the ship's previous voyage.