Moby Dick: or the Whale

By: Herman Melville

Narrated by: Mark Nelson

Moby-Dick is widely considered to be the Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story details the adventures of the wandering sailor Ishmael and his voyage on the whale ship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Ishmael soon learns that Ahab seeks one specific whale: Moby Dick, a ferocious, enigmatic white sperm whale. In a previous encounter, the whale destroyed Ahab's boat and bit off his leg. And Ahab intends to take revenge.

Public Domain (P)2011 Trout Lake Media

Can't beat a well read classic for this price!

Where does Moby Dick: or the Whale rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

I had recently read Moby Dick in print form, then listened to this audio version. Don't know if I could have followed the story on the audio without having read it first... it would have required rapt attention. And an occasional pause to consult the dictionary! This was a very enjoyable listen... and drew me into the story quite powerfully!

What did you like best about this story?

After listening to Moby Dick, I felt like I could hunt, harpoon, skin, and boil down the oil from a whale! While some complain of Melville's excursions into the details of whaling ships, whaling life, and whales, I found it facinating!

Which character ??? as performed by Mark Nelson ??? was your favorite?

Ahab is revealed as a conflicted,

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The cost of revenge... to one and to many.

Any additional comments?

I can see why many consider this one of the best... if not the best... American novel. I know I will be visiting this novel again, and possibly soon.

Moby Dick not

I had read Moby Dick in high school (I think). I have seen the movie. I had recently watched a documentary about the whaleship Essex. I love whales, particularly angry big white whales. So downloading Moby Dick was a no-brainer. Wow. What a strange, sublime, and confusing book! I felt like Melville had written the last three chapters, put them away for a few years, and then filled in the beginning so he had a novel. Only it's not really a novel. He wrote it prior to Darwins publishing origin of species in 1859. I wonder what kind of book Melville would have written if he had first read origin of species.

One of the greatest works of American fiction

Full of action, beautiful prose, and thoughtful philosophy, this book will long live in my mind and heart.

Very long and meandering

I want to love Classics. Honestly, I do. And I thought Moby Dick would be the one to cure me of my frustration at some other recent listens. But it really didn’t. I admit to have fazed out frequently in the 24 hour listen. The narrator was ok but his accents with the sailors was unimpressive. I would not recommend this audiobook.

The Great American Novel, brilliantly read.

Wonderful, lively narration of one of the funniest, most interesting books ever written. —a tapestry of adventure, natural history, philosophy, and more than you ever wanted to know about whales! This is America’s first great claim to literary excellence.