First published as Moby-Dick; or, The Whale in 1851, Herman Melville's epic tale about obsession and greed shows no signs of losing popularity in the digital age. The book begins as a straightforward narrative in realistic prose. After the first fifteen chapters, it becomes a complex combination of cetology, philosophy, and adventure narrative written in rhapsodic metaphorical style. A profound symbolic study of good and evil, Moby Dick is widely regarded as one of the great American novels. "One of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world." –D. H. Lawrence.