Went back home to Portland for a visit, and had to stop by the Multnomah library, downtown. I found this copy of Moby Dick at the friends of the library bookstore for $19.95. The minute I saw it, I thought to myself, I know that book edition! My wife told me I was a huge nerd, lol. What can I say, one of my favorite movies, and one of my favorite books. For anyone interested, I did not buy it. It might still be there.

Moby Dick is famously one of the most symbolically rich texts of modern literature, with the White Whale himself representing almost any personal, social, or spiritual struggle one can imagine, so much so that he has entered English idiom in this form -- "that is my white whale," etc. In light of that, one of the passages that always gets a chuckle out of me is this one, from Chapter 45, The Affidavit:

"I do not know where I can find a better place than just here, to make mention of one or two other things, which to me seem important, as in printed form establishing in all respects the reasonableness of the whole story of the White Whale, more especially the catastrophe. For this is one of those disheartening instances where truth requires full as much bolstering as error. So ignorant are most landsmen of some of the plainest and most palpable wonders of the world, that without some hints touching the plain facts, historical and otherwise, of the fishery, they might scout Moby Dick as a monstrous fable, or still worse and more detestable, a hideous and intolerable allegory."

It reminds me of what Hemingway would say about The Old Man and the Sea -- "The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. The shark are all sharks no better and no worse. All the symbolism that people say is shit." Only here, in Moby Dick, the denial of symbolism or allegory comes not from Melville, but from within the story: I, Ishmael, was there, I saw it with my own eyes, it is all true. In fact, there are many places in the novel where Ishmael seems to want to establish his credibility as a narrator -- the highly clinical descriptions of the sperm and right whales, the chapter on whale taxonomy, etc, seem, too, to have this function (among others).

Sharing a friend's fan video of the song "Ishmael's Oath" by the late folk/filksinger Leslie Fish.

In Leslie's words:

I caught a replay of the original “Moby Dick” movie on late-night TV, and realized just how many Pagan elements are embedded in it. And then I saw Mark Twain’s famous quote:

"Why is there so much misery in the world?"
"That, madame, is because the world is ruled by God, and God is a malign thug." – Mark Twain

The wreckage all has vanished. The waves cavort and roll.
I’m floating on a coffin and conversing with my soul.
I understand completely now what Ahab tried to do:
And if I live to get to land, I’ll try to do it too.

Our lives are full of sorrow, and all the preachers say
The Lord God doles our misery out to make us all obey.
Is this a loving father’s work, or just a tyrant’s game?
If all the world is ruled by God, then he’s the one to blame.

The vision stands before me, and I believe it still:
The Puritan God is a vicious thug — that Ahab meant to kill.
So Ahab brought his Pharisee, and those Shamans one and all,
To kill the Lord by voodoo — with the whale his voodoo doll!

And half New Bedford knew it! They helped us arm and pack.
They warned us of the danger, but they didn’t hold us back.
For all their pious mouthings of curses, death and sin,
They didn’t dare to say it, but they hoped that we would win.

But Moby Dick proved the stronger. The Pequod sprang a leak.
I sympathize with Ahab’s cause, but question his technique.
From all that I have studied, on air or sea or sod
Starvation is the surest way that man can kill a god.

No more I’ll give him worship — the faith on which he feeds,
No more the fear and ignorance from which the tyrant breeds.
With ridicule in my left hand and science in my right,
I’ll strip him of his power — or at least begin the fight.

I now resolve my mission unto the bitter end
While riding to my rescue on the coffin of my friend.
The tyrant still might kill me — of hunger, sharks or thirst –
But I’ll do my best to tear him down if he can’t kill me first!

Song © 2000 Leslie Fish.

for anyone unfamiliar with the concept of a senior jacket basically in my country at least each senior designs a jacket on which they pick ~6 patches to embroider on their sleeves as a way to kinda commemorate our last year of HS & the things we liked during that period, i knew i wanted something relating to ishmael on mine because i’ve loved the bastard for so long he’s my favorite character of all time so i drew him the way i imagined he’d look but apparently he’s too detailed for embroidery and i need to pick something else, i have no clue what i could put aside from a drawing and I’m entirely desperate so I’m asking for your suggestions lol

Sorry for the English, I used a translator.

It has always been difficult for me to identify the symbols of the whale, the ocean, and so on. But I've always had that thought. The ocean is a spiritual space, and all the killing of whales and all the whaling is like a spiritual quest in this book. All these descriptions of the ocean, the atmosphere of the book and their fishing, which is described as some kind of ritual, have always pointed this out to me. And the whale seemed to me as an image of the divine truth that makes us understand that it is impossible to comprehend, and then Ahab is obsessed with the search for this truth, he is beaten by life and he wants to understand it so much. And he demands it so aggressively that it can be compared to God-fighting (the same degree of God-fighting as that of Ahab from the Bible, who was an idolater).
And then the story becomes almost existential with this search for the meaning of life (the divine truth that I was talking about earlier).

I do not know if this is correct or not, it always seemed to me that the interpretation was kind of shaky. Please rate it.

Okay, this is probably a huge stretch, but I was rereading Moby-Dick and noticed some things that made me wonder if Ishmael has a deeper connection to Queequeg’s god, Yojo.
The first thing that stands out is the opening line: “Call me Ishmael.” Ishmael doesn’t say “my name is Ishmael.” He tells us what to call him, which makes his identity feel intentionally uncertain.
Then there’s the strange way Ishmael narrates the story. He describes events he could not have personally witnessed, such as scenes involving Ahab away from him. This makes Ishmael feel less like a normal sailor telling his own story and more like an observer with unusual knowledge.
Now the Queequeg connection:
Queequeg is the one person Ishmael forms a truly deep bond with. Before meeting Ishmael, Queequeg’s closest spiritual connection seems to be with Yojo, his wooden idol from his homeland. Yojo is the only explicitly worshipped god in the story, and Queequeg is already an outsider because of his background.
What if Ishmael is not literally “Yojo revealed,” but instead Yojo brought into the human world — a kind of human manifestation of that same spiritual role?
This would explain why Ishmael is powerful in knowledge but powerless in action. He does not control events; he witnesses them.
Then there’s the ending.
Moby Dick destroys the Pequod and everyone aboard except Ishmael. But Ishmael survives because he floats on Queequeg’s coffin.
That detail feels extremely intentional. Melville could have chosen anything for Ishmael to survive on, but he chose the coffin of the person whose spiritual world is tied to Yojo.
It also reminds me of the symbolism of a Christian cross above a grave. The cross marks the connection between death, faith, and salvation. Similarly, Ishmael surviving on Queequeg’s coffin creates a connection between death and rebirth, with Queequeg’s final object becoming the thing that preserves Ishmael.
So the possible symbolism:
Yojo = a smaller, personal divine force
Ishmael = Yojo’s presence in the human world
Moby Dick = a greater, overwhelming divine force/judgment
Ishmael survives because his purpose is not to conquer or judge, but to witness
I don’t think this is necessarily what Melville intended, and I know the Yojo/Ishmael connection is the biggest leap. But I think the combination of Ishmael’s strange identity, his relationship with Queequeg, and the coffin ending is interesting.

This is definitely a huge reach but it’s something I had fun thinking about lol

I only just came across this passage by the great writer, critic, sociologist, and historian Lewis Mumford, from a biography he wrote of Herman Melville (which I also only just learned of today!) Here is a link to the whole biography; for his commentary on Moby Dick in particular, scroll down to chapter seven. Would love to hear your thoughts.

if you haven’t seen the movie yet! One of the minions picks up a copy upside down in an apartment ‘lair’!

This is a bit of a juvenile scenario, but this has been on my mind.

Let's say Ahab heard from another whaling ship that some unknown sea creature had killed Moby-Dick. Or perhaps the crew of the Pequod arrives just in time to witness another giant beast, risen from the depths, slay Moby-Dick near the surface. (Another whale, a kraken, a giant shark, a giant ichthyosaur, an enormous sea serpent or something else.)

How would Ahab react?

Would he fly into a rage because another creature stole his revenge, or would he simply be satisfied that the White Whale had finally been killed?

My personal guess is this: at first Ahab would be furious and order the crew to pursue this other beast. The crew, horrified, refuse to chase this new horror. Ahab would rage, accuse them of mutiny. At this point Starbuck would take over. "It's one thing to pursue a whale with godless obsession, but quite another to lead a whaling crew into the jaws of an unknown sea devil." (Forgive me, I can't write dialogue worthy of Melville, but I imagine Starbuck would say something along these lines.)

Ahab would be confined to his cabin to calm down. He would spend hours raging there, threatening to kill everyone aboard.

Eventually, Ahab would calm down and rationalize the whole affair. He might even come to regard this new animal as a kindred spirit or somekind familiar. In his delusions of grandeur, he might even convince himself that his own thirst for vengeance somehow summoned this beast from the deep like angel of revenge.

The way I see it, to Ahab Moby-Dick is a some kind of avatar of God/Fate. If another sea monster could challenge the White Whale, Ahab might see it as proof that there are metaphysical powers arrayed beside him in his war against Fate.

Once the crew is convinced that Ahab has regained his composure, Ahab take over again He orders the Pequod to return to port. Ahab spends the rest of his life as a whaleman, always hoping that one day he might catch another glimpse of the creature he now thinks of as his brother.

Of course, I could be completely wrong. The White Whale is not Ahab's obsession simply because it is the uncrowned king of the seas, but because it wounded Him. So Ahab may not actually care whether Moby-Dick is the biggest and most terrifying sea monster in the world's oceans. So maybe he would only be angry that it wasn't him who killed the Whale.

Sorry for the fan fiction-esque scenario but it's a thought that's been lingering in my mind.

I discovered them while I was reading the last 10 chapters for the first time, and it made for such an amplified experience of an already heavily anticipated moment. The band’s percussion and overall atmosphere remind me of the waves that crash against the hull of the Pequod as they creep toward their own doom.

I’m curious what the general consensus is on this band? (and if there are any other metalheads who like this book)

Hello,

I've got some time in between jobs at the moment and I had an idea to make a Moby Dick/Leviathan/bibilcial sea monster themed plundeephonic project.

I've got a few bones of tracks sorted. I made a nice ambient piece yesterday of David Suchet reading Job 41 with some bass tones.

But I'm trying to expand my listening to music that I can sample that gives an ancient nautical feel. I'm thinking maybe some classical or 50s and 60s here's slowed down.

Is there any music you would associate with Moby Dick, the Old Testament KJV, general nautical themes etc that could be sampled.

I'm going to try and do it DJ Shadow style and just really try and challenge myself.

I'm trying to get my head into a place of being at sea and finding musical ways to express that via sampling, audio manipulation. There will be drums but I'm going to try and keep them lower in the mix and really keep things focused on the feeling of music. Or music from the time (sea shanties, classic, folk) older the better I love textures

Audio of readings isn't hard to find. I'm trying to lift verses from the book too much, rather things that may have influenced the book or other sources to give the same feeling. The passage in Blood Meridian of the kids looking am out to the whaling ship is one example

I did something similar with a biblical prophet and sampling to give an idea of what I'm going for

https://jackrae.bandcamp.com/album/visions-of-enoch

Influences:

The Caretaker

DJ Shadow

Madlib

The Avalanches

DJ Screw

For an instant, the tranced boat’s crew stood still; then turned. “The ship? Great God, where is the ship?” Soon they through dim, bewildering mediums saw her sidelong fading phantom, as in the gaseous Fata Morgana; only the uppermost masts out of the water; while fixed by infatuation, or fidelity, or fate, to their once lofty perches, the pagan harpooneers still maintained their sinking outlook on the sea.

~ The Chase - Third Day

I found this book at a random shop the other day but couldn't find too much info on it. It's in rough condition so I'm waiting on some gloves to open it up. Any information on this edition?

My Moby Dick obsession....I mean...project has advanced with a full color sketch of the silk scarf and a description of each of the images and their meaning to me. Would love your feedback - see details on the link below.

https://www.vellumeditions.com/the-whale

Notice the American flag on The Bachelor :-)

reading some more of the “classic“ books lately (Sherlock Holme, 20,000 leagues under the sea, etc.) lately and I realized I havent read moby dick ever but i am slightly intimidated by the 650ish pages, as someone who enjoys more nautical sorts of stories, do you all think it would be a good book or should I read another book?

My first read of Moby-Dick was 50 years ago as a High School senior. Then it was a requirement. Now a choice. I remembered very little of the books details, however remember struggling. I admit in spite of all my life experience I still struggle.

I am pages away from the chase and then I hit "The Musket". Don't know why. I was Starbuck. I was holding the death-tube. The words embedded in my brain. Don't know what that says about me!

That same year in HS we read Crime and Punishment. I was Raskolnikov at times.

I say it was the genius of the author not any inherent brilliance on my part.

I am not a literary scholar at all. I enjoy a good yarn and recently want more from my reading. I have certainly found it.

Wondering what others feel about this chapter.

I've been plotting the real-world journeys from novels onto an actual map and Moby-Dick turned out to be one of the most rewarding because Melville is weirdly precise about where the Pequod actually goes. And I got it wrong a few times, with the help of Fianarana who pointed out my mistakes.

A few things that struck me plotting it:

• The scale is enormous - Ahab's hunt isn't local, it's basically a lap of the planet.
• I pinned a line of Melville to each stop so the map doubles as a little reading of the voyage.

Questions for people who know the book better than I do: did I place the Carrol Ground right (I put it southerly of St. Helena)? And does anyone read the final "Line" position differently? Genuinely keen to be corrected.

Hershel Parker's wife wrote on his Facebook page that he died on June 19, 2026 at the age of 90. I haven't seen an obituary posted yet but I'll keep my eyes open.

Parker, of course, was co-editor of the Norton Critical Edition of Moby-Dick, the general editor of all the Northwestern-Newberry editions of Melville's complete works, the author of the seminal two-volume biography of Melville (and a companion memoir of writing the biography), a blog he kept for more than a decade, and countless other articles and contributions to Melville studies.

I had a few very limited email exchanges with Parker in the last few years, asking him questions related to my own blog and was grateful to get even a quick response pointing me in one direction or another.

So pour one out for Hershel Parker, poor devil of a Sub-Sub!

So fare thee well, poor devil of a Sub-Sub, whose commentator I am. Thou belongest to that hopeless, sallow tribe which no wine of this world will ever warm; and for whom even Pale Sherry would be too rosy-strong; but with whom one sometimes loves to sit, and feel poor-devilish, too; and grow convivial upon tears; and say to them bluntly, with full eyes and empty glasses, and in not altogether unpleasant sadness—Give it up, Sub-Subs! For by how much the more pains ye take to please the world, by so much the more shall ye for ever go thankless! Would that I could clear out Hampton Court and the Tuileries for ye! But gulp down your tears and hie aloft to the royal-mast with your hearts; for your friends who have gone before are clearing out the seven-storied heavens, and making refugees of long-pampered Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, against your coming. Here ye strike but splintered hearts together—there, ye shall strike unsplinterable glasses!

Shipmates,
I’m the featured speaker at an event hosted by Wisdom Bar on July 9th in New York. My talk will serve as an invitation to Moby-Dick for new readers and an exploration of Melville for more seasoned hands. A social hour with food and drink are covered by the ticket. Please feel free to share with any incipient dickheads in your life. I have no commercial stake in the number of attendees at this event so I hope this doesn’t violate sub rules. Please hurl it into the howling infinite if it does!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-wisdom-bar-melville-and-moby-dick-lecture-based-convo-focused-tickets-1990538279578