MOBY DICK (Modern Classics Series) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Whaling Ship Adventure of Captain Ahab, the White Whale, and a Philosophical Sea VoyageBy Herman Melville
Length24h 43m
About this audiobook
Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is at once a whaling narrative, metaphysical quest, encyclopedic meditation, and tragic epic of American literature. Centered on Captain Ahab's monomaniacal pursuit of the white whale, the novel blends nautical realism with Shakespearean rhetoric, biblical resonance, philosophical speculation, and comic digression. Its shifting forms—sermon, stage dialogue, scientific catalogue, and adventure tale—place it among the most audacious works of the nineteenth century, anticipating modernist experiment while engaging the anxieties of empire, labor, knowledge, and fate. Melville drew deeply on his own years at sea, including voyages on whaling ships and encounters with the harsh economies and diverse cultures of the Pacific. Born in 1819, he transformed maritime experience into fiction that exceeded conventional adventure writing. By the time he composed Moby-Dick, he was wrestling with questions of authority, belief, and the limits of human understanding, concerns intensified by his reading of Shakespeare, the Bible, and contemporary natural history. This Modern Classics edition is recommended for readers seeking not merely a story of pursuit, but a profound inquiry into obsession, language, nature, and the human will. Demanding yet exhilarating, it rewards patient reading with extraordinary intellectual and imaginative force.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length24 hrs 43 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 5, 2016
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
73CHAPTER 68. The Blanket
2Introduction
74CHAPTER 69. The Funeral
3Synopsis
75CHAPTER 70. The Sphynx
4Historical Context
76CHAPTER 71. The Jeroboam’s Story
5Author Biography
77CHAPTER 72. The Monkey-Rope
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER 1. Loomings
78CHAPTER 73. Stubb and Flask Kill a Right Whale; and Then Have a Talk
7CHAPTER 2. The Carpet-Bag
79CHAPTER 74. The Sperm Whale’s Head — Contrasted View
8CHAPTER 3. The Spouter-Inn
80CHAPTER 75. The Right Whale’s Head — Contrasted View
9CHAPTER 4. The Counterpane
81CHAPTER 76. The Battering-Ram
10CHAPTER 5. Breakfast
82CHAPTER 77. The Great Heidelburgh Tun
11CHAPTER 6. The Street
83CHAPTER 78. Cistern and Buckets
12CHAPTER 7. The Chapel
84CHAPTER 79. The Prairie
13CHAPTER 8. The Pulpit
85CHAPTER 80. The Nut
14CHAPTER 9. The Sermon
86CHAPTER 81. The Pequod Meets The Virgin
15CHAPTER 10. A Bosom Friend
87CHAPTER 82. The Honour and Glory of Whaling
16CHAPTER 11. Nightgown
88CHAPTER 83. Jonah Historically Regarded
17CHAPTER 12. Biographical
89CHAPTER 84. Pitchpoling
18CHAPTER 13. Wheelbarrow
90CHAPTER 85. The Fountain
19CHAPTER 14. Nantucket
91CHAPTER 86. The Tail
20CHAPTER 15. Chowder
92CHAPTER 87. The Grand Armada
21CHAPTER 16. The Ship
93CHAPTER 88. Schools and Schoolmasters
22CHAPTER 17. The Ramadan
94CHAPTER 89. Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish
23CHAPTER 18. His Mark
95CHAPTER 90. Heads or Tails
24CHAPTER 19. The Prophet
96CHAPTER 91. The Pequod Meets The Rose-Bud
25CHAPTER 20. All Astir
97CHAPTER 92. Ambergris
26CHAPTER 21. Going Aboard
98CHAPTER 93. The Castaway
27CHAPTER 22. Merry Christmas
99CHAPTER 94. A Squeeze of the Hand
28CHAPTER 23. The Lee Shore
100CHAPTER 95. The Cassock
29CHAPTER 24. The Advocate
101CHAPTER 96. The Try-Works
30CHAPTER 25. Postscript
102CHAPTER 97. The Lamp
31CHAPTER 26. Knights and Squires
103CHAPTER 98. Stowing Down and Clearing Up
32CHAPTER 27. Knights and Squires
104CHAPTER 99. The Doubloon
33CHAPTER 28. Ahab
105CHAPTER 100. Leg and Arm
34CHAPTER 29. Enter Ahab; to Him, Stubb
106CHAPTER 101. The Decanter
35CHAPTER 30. The Pipe
107CHAPTER 102. A Bower in the Arsacides
36CHAPTER 31. Queen Mab
108CHAPTER 103. Measurement of The Whale’s Skeleton
37CHAPTER 32. Cetology
109CHAPTER 104. The Fossil Whale
38CHAPTER 33. The Specksnyder
110CHAPTER 105. Does the Whale’s Magnitude Diminish? — Will He Perish?
39CHAPTER 34. The Cabin-Table
111CHAPTER 106. Ahab’s Leg
40CHAPTER 35. The Mast-Head
112CHAPTER 107. The Carpenter
41CHAPTER 36. The Quarter-Deck
113CHAPTER 108. Ahab and the Carpenter
42CHAPTER 37. Sunset
114CHAPTER 109. Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin
43CHAPTER 38. Dusk
115CHAPTER 110. Queequeg in His Coffin
44CHAPTER 39. First Night Watch
116CHAPTER 111. The Pacific
45CHAPTER 40. Midnight, Forecastle
117CHAPTER 112. The Blacksmith
46CHAPTER 41. Moby Dick
118CHAPTER 113. The Forge
47CHAPTER 42. The Whiteness of The Whale
119CHAPTER 114. The Gilder
48CHAPTER 43. Hark!
120CHAPTER 115. The Pequod Meets The Bachelor
49CHAPTER 44. The Chart
121CHAPTER 116. The Dying Whale
50CHAPTER 45. The Affidavit
122CHAPTER 117. The Whale Watch
51CHAPTER 46. Surmises
123CHAPTER 118. The Quadrant
52CHAPTER 47. The Mat-Maker
124CHAPTER 119. The Candles
53CHAPTER 48. The First Lowering
125CHAPTER 120. The Deck Towards the End of the First Night Watch
54CHAPTER 49. The Hyena
126CHAPTER 121. Midnight. — The Forecastle Bulwarks
55CHAPTER 50. Ahab’s Boat and Crew. Fedallah
127CHAPTER 122. Midnight Aloft. — Thunder and Lightning
56CHAPTER 51. The Spirit-Spout
128CHAPTER 123. The Musket
57CHAPTER 52. The Albatross
129CHAPTER 124. The Needle
58CHAPTER 53. The Gam
130CHAPTER 125. The Log and Line
59CHAPTER 54. The Town-Ho’s Story
131CHAPTER 126. The Life-Buoy
60CHAPTER 55. Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales
132CHAPTER 127. The Deck
61CHAPTER 56. Of the Less Erroneous Pictures of Whales, and the True Pictures of Whaling Scenes
133CHAPTER 128. The Pequod Meets The Rachel
62CHAPTER 57. Of Whales in Paint; in Teeth; in Wood; in Sheet-Iron; in Stone; in Mountains; in Stars
134CHAPTER 129. The Cabin
63CHAPTER 58. Brit
135CHAPTER 130. The Hat
64CHAPTER 59. Squid
136CHAPTER 131. The Pequod Meets The Delight
65CHAPTER 60. The Line
137CHAPTER 132. The Symphony
66CHAPTER 61. Stubb Kills a Whale
138CHAPTER 133. The Chase — First Day
67CHAPTER 62. The Dart
139CHAPTER 134. The Chase — Second Day
68CHAPTER 63. The Crotch
140CHAPTER 135. The Chase. — Third Day
69CHAPTER 64. Stubb’s Supper
141Epilogue
70CHAPTER 65. The Whale as a Dish
142Analysis
71CHAPTER 66. The Shark Massacre
143Reflection
72CHAPTER 67. Cutting In
144Memorable Quotes
Bartleby, der Schreiber (Kommentiert)Herman Melville3h 42m$1 · $0.00
Taipi (Kommentiert)Herman Melville11h 52m$1 · $0.00
Meisterwerke der amerikanischen Literatur - Klassiker, die man kennen muss (Kommentiert)Herman Melville, Thomas Wolfe, Henry David Thoreau, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Walt Whitman, Sinclair Lewis, Mark Twain, Jack London, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Edgar Allan Poe290h 22m$2 · $0.00
Bartleby, der Schreiber: Eine Geschichte aus der Wall Street (Kommentiert)Herman Melville3h 41m$1 · $0.00
The EncantadasHerman Melville3h 35m$1 · $0.00
Vier Monate auf den Marquesas-Inseln oder ein Blick auf Polynesisches LebenHerman Melville12h 12m$1 · $0.00
Redburn. His First VoyageHerman Melville13h 25m$3 · $0.00
Moby DickHerman Melville24h 28m$1 · $0.00
Moby DickHerman Melville24h 28m$1 · $0.00
Moby DickHerman Melville24h 28m$1 · $0.00
Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the WarHerman Melville6h 3m$2 · $0.00
Moby-Dick (Unabridged) + D. H. Lawrence's critique of Moby-DickHerman Melville24h 4m$1 · $0.00
Moby DickHerman Melville24h 28m$2 · $0.00
The Essential Melville - 160+ Titles in One EditionHerman Melville178h 2m$2 · $0.00
Der HochstaplerHerman Melville12h 23m$3 · $0.00
Moby Dick (Zusammengefasste Ausgabe)Herman Melville3h 16m$2
Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville24h 57m$1 · $0.00
Erzählungen der Selbstzerstörung – 7 klassische ObsessionsgeschichtenHerman Melville, Emily Brontë, Knut Hamsun, Jack London, Stefan Zweig, Franz Kafka, Hans Fallada56h 24m$2
Moby DickHerman Melville10h 44m$1 · $0.00
C. S. LewisC. S. Lewis38h 55m$30
The Jeeves and Wooster Stories: The Complete Collection (33 Books)P. G. Wodehouse21h 57m$15 · $0.00
The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn21h 56m$46 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Novels, Short Stories and Autobiographical WritingsFyodor Dostoyevsky270h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 10m$2 · $0.00
Charles Dickens: Complete Works (Annotated)Charles Dickens819h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen & Brontë Sisters (Annotated)Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë203h 52m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare108h 44m$1.80 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of the Brontë Family Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë140h 13m$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m5.0 (2)$2 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
All NovelsGeorge Orwell53h 48m$10 · $0.00
The Complete Works of TolstoyLeo Tolstoy412h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Louisa May Alcott (Annotated)Louisa May Alcott226h 24m$2 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes series - completeArthur Conan54h 8m$3.50 · $0.00
Under His ProtectionB. Love5h 7m$15
Heart of IronC. M. Alongi15h 24m$30
Ethic IIAshley Antoinette9h 1m$20
RiversnowTess Thompson8h 11m$20
Supreme ClienteleAshley & JaQuavis8h 58m$20
Body Refinement in a Beast Tamer’s World, Book 1Seth Ring14h 7m$27
EmberJeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews13h 58m$23
The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Unabridged)Jane Austen88h 8m5.0 (1)$1 · $0.00
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m5.0 (1)$28 · $0.00
Searching For ThanksgivingS.E. Smith4h 24m$20
Naughty 4Brenda Hampton7h 30m$17
The Dance with Me TrilogyShelley Shepard Gray21h 44m$35
Anne Shirley (Complete 14 Book Collection)Lucy Maud Montgomery125h 28m$2 · $0.00
The DopemanJaQuavis Coleman5h 25m$20
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.3 (18)$29 · $0.00
Grand Opening 2Carl Weber9h 16m$20
Sons of Valor II: Violence of ActionBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson12h 34m$23
Malevolent MagicMildred Abbott7h 13m$17
Bikes, Toys, and Hot BoyzGenesis Woods, Shantaé13h 9m$23
You may also like
Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville24h 57m$1 · $0.00
Moby Dick (Complete Unabridged Edition)Herman Melville23h 6m$1 · $0.00
Moby DickHerman Melville24h 15m$12 · $0.00
Moby DickHerman Melville23h 25m$2.30
The Path to RomeHilaire Belloc9h 59m$2.30
Best of Melville (Annotated)Herman Melville57h 47m$2 · $0.00
The Red OneJack London4h 7m$2.30
The Cruise of the SnarkJack London8h 22m$2.30
My First Summer in the Sierra (Summarized Edition)John Muir2h 44m$2
The Trail of the GoldseekersHamlin Garland6h 5m$2.30 · $0.00
The Sea and the JungleH. M. Tomlinson11h 20m$1 · $0.00
Narrative of a Journey to the Summit of Mont BlancWilliam Howard1h 3m$1 · $0.00
The complete Stories of the North (Annotated)Jack London47h 1m$2 · $0.00
Above the CloudsKilian Jornet6h 4m$24 · $0.00
Mountain Conquests: Thirteen Unforgettable ReadsW. H. Le Mesurier, George Ingle Finch, C. G. Bruce, Norman Collie, Arnold Lunn, Michael T. H. Sadler, Julian S. Huxley, Norman Egerton Young, Hugh Kingsmill Lunn, H. E. G. Tyndale, N. T. Huxley, H. R. Pope, Arnold H. M. Lunn, William Martin Sir Conway, Hudson Stuck, Owen Glynne Jones, Aubrey Mrs. Le Blond, George Edward Mannering96h 14m$2 · $0.00
The Call of the WildJack London3h 50m$5 · $0.00
Hunting with the Bow & ArrowSaxton T. Pope7h 14m$1 · $0.00
The Call of the WildJack London3h 49m$5 · $0.00
Farthest North (The Complete Two-Volume Edition)Fridtjof Nansen31h 27m$3 · $0.00
Letters from Switzerland and Travels in ItalyJohann Wolfgang von Goethe16h 10m$2.30