Moby Dick; or, The Whale, Herman Melville. Illustrated by Rockwell Kent. First Edition Thus.

Moby-Dick is quite possibly the quintessential Great American Novel. Believe it or not, Melville saw almost no literary success during his lifetime, making just over $10,000 from his writing and by 1876 his books were out of print. Moby-Dick was his sixth book, published in 1951. There were only 500 copies of the English edition printed, and 2,915 of the American. The novel has since achieved iconic status and is a staple of the western canon.

This edition, illustrated by the inimitable Rockwell Kent, is one of the more recognizable editions and is still in print today. It features Kent's trademark style, with pen, ink and brush illustrations throughout. This is the first printing:

Melville:

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