Why Read Moby-Dick

(Paperback)

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Description

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

Reviews

Gracefully written [with an] infectious enthusiasmNew York Times Book Review

Exuberant.--Boston Globe

Brilliant and provocativeThe New Yorker

[A] slim, passionate manifestoChicago 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 Philbricks 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 Philbricks enthusiasm is contagious.So put me down for a reading of Moby-Dick in 2012, and count Philbricks 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 Melvilles masterpiece.Booklist (Starred review)

In this cogent and passionate polemic for Melvilles masterpiece, Philbrick combines a critical eye and a readers 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 masterpiecePhilbrick is an enthusiastic salesman for a sometimes daunting novel.Kirkus

So you liked Philbricks In the Heart of the Sea, which re-created the wreck of the whaleship Essex, inspiration for Herman Melvilles Moby-Dick Then youll love Philbricks new book From a wonderful and knowing writer.Library Journalt

Author Bio

Nathaniel Philbrickis the authorofIn 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;Sea of Glory;The Last Stand;Why Read Moby Dick;Away Off Shore; andSecond Wind.