Herman Melville's epic tale of obsession and vengeance on the high seas, Moby-Dick, or The Whale was not initially successful when it was first published in 1851 but later went on to become one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed novels in literary history.

Narrated by the sailor Ishmael, who signs up to go to sea aboard the whaling ship the Pequod, the story recounts the mad quest by the single-minded Captain Ahab to find and kill an enormous white sperm whale - christened Moby-Dick - who took Ahab's leg in a previous voyage.