Why Read Moby-Dick?

Name: Why Read Moby-Dick?
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: Nathaniel Philbrick
ISBN: 9781101523667

Author: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrator: Nathaniel Philbrick

Unabridged: 2 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 10/20/2011

Categories: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

Synopsis

A “brilliant and provocative” (The New Yorker) celebration of Melville’s masterpiece—from the bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea, Valiant Ambition, and In the Hurricane's Eye

One of the greatest American novels finds its perfect contemporary champion in Why Read Moby-Dick?, Nathaniel Philbrick’s enlightening and entertaining tour through Melville’s classic. As he did in his National Book Award–winning bestseller In the Heart of the Sea, Philbrick brings a sailor’s eye and an adventurer’s passion to unfolding the story behind an epic American journey. He skillfully navigates Melville’s world and illuminates the book’s humor and unforgettable characters—finding the thread that binds Ishmael and Ahab to our own time and, indeed, to all times. An ideal match between author and subject, Why Read Moby-Dick? will start conversations, inspire arguments, and make a powerful case that this classic tale waits to be discovered anew.

“Gracefully written [with an] infectious enthusiasm…”—New York Times Book Review

About The Author

Nathaniel Philbrick is the author of In the Heart of the Sea, winner of the National Book Award; Mayflower, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Valiant Ambition, winner of the George Washington Prize; Bunker Hill, winner of the New England Book Award; Travels with George; Away Off Shore; Second Wind; Sea of Glory; and The Last Stand.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Riku on October 11, 2016

In these essays which attempt to recreate the mystery of the creation of Moby Dick, Philbrick recreates for us the strange magic of reading Melville as well. The book's aim is to convince a reader who has not read to read. I don't think anybody who has not read Moby Dick should read this - too much......more

Goodreads review by Clif on October 14, 2016

This book is an impassioned commentary on the multiple layers of meaning found in the novel, Moby-Dick. The author treats the novel with the respect generally given the Bible, and he compares Herman Melville's work favorably with that of Shakespeare as shown in the following quotation.Reading Shakes......more

Goodreads review by Scott on April 21, 2024

Those of you following my reviews for these many years: First off, thank you. Secondly, you’ll be happy to know that my life-long goal of finally reading Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” is close to fruition. One of my goals this year was to finally read it. I started it early in the year, and I’m happ......more

Goodreads review by Steve on May 13, 2012

I enjoyed this introduction (or for me, re-introduction) to Moby Dick, which is one of my all-time favorite novels. The reason I'm only rating this 3 stars, is that Philbrick only scratches the surface of the novel. Philbrick populates his short book, with a lot of short chapters. Many of these chap......more

Goodreads review by Chris on September 13, 2018

Excellent musings on the classic Moby Dick. Having just finished that leviathan of a book, I found Philbrick's slim (127pp) book of background info on Melville and interesting comments on certain parts of Moby quite enlightening. Makes for a nice companion to the novel. I'll probably re-read with Mo......more

Quotes

“Gracefully written [with an] infectious enthusiasm…”—New York Times Book Review

“Exuberant.”--Boston Globe

“Brilliant and provocative…”—The New Yorker

“[A] slim, passionate manifesto…”—Chicago Tribune

“A slim, easy-to-read argument on why you should definitely put [Moby-Dick] on your bucket list.”—History Wire

“WHY READ MOBY-DICK? reels in a compelling case… short, lucid, intelligent… Philbrick’s more like a literary color analyst, helping readers see the novel better while also creating a sense of excitement about it.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“This slender volume is packed with reasons why you might want to read the whaling classic.”
—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“This slender, pleasant, sincere book by the maritime historian and naval enthusiast is more than a respectable tribute unencumbered by academic prose. Approaching Moby-Dick from outside the academy is refreshing, and Philbrick’s enthusiasm is contagious….So put me down for a reading of Moby-Dick in 2012, and count Philbrick’s book a success.”—The New Republic

“Philbrick does the literary world great service by bringing Moby-Dick back into popular attention and also by his skill in keeping American history fresh and alive.”—Aspen Daily News

“Sure to swell the readership of Melville’s masterpiece.”—Booklist (Starred review)

“In this cogent and passionate polemic for Melville’s masterpiece, Philbrick… combines a critical eye and a reader’s adoration to make a case for Moby-Dick… Less lit-crit and more readers’ guide, this tome will remind fans why they loved the book in the first place, and whet the appetites of trepid potential readers.”—Publishers Weekly

“A slim celebration of the elements of a literary masterpiece…Philbrick is an enthusiastic salesman for a sometimes daunting novel.”—Kirkus

“So you liked Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea, which re-created the wreck of the whaleship Essex, inspiration for Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick? Then you’ll love Philbrick’s new book… From a wonderful and knowing writer.”—Library Journalt