Cover of Moby Dick

A Morph Edition

Moby Dick

Herman Melville

213K words~14h 13m read142 chapters1851

Captain Ahab's obsessive quest for the white whale Moby Dick leads his ship, the Pequod, and its diverse crew on an epic voyage across the world's oceans. A towering achievement of American literature that blends adventure, philosophy, and tragedy into an unforgettable meditation on ambition, nature, and human destiny.

Ishmael, a young sailor, embarks on the Pequod under the command of the legendary Captain Ahab, whose singular obsession is hunting the white whale that destroyed his ship years before. As the whaling vessel journeys across the seas, Melville weaves together thrilling action sequences with profound philosophical musings on fate, mortality, and man's place in the vast natural world. The novel culminates in a catastrophic confrontation between Ahab's will and the indifferent power of nature, exploring themes of obsession, revenge, and the human condition. Published in 1851, Moby-Dick is considered one of the greatest novels ever written. Its complex symbolism, rich characterization, and poetic language have made it a cornerstone of American literature. The novel examines themes of man versus nature, the limits of human knowledge, and the devastating power of unchecked ambition.

Chapters

1Morph Edition
90 words
2Titlepage
5 words
3Imprint
177 words
4Dedication
15 words
5Etymology
183 words
6Extracts
3K words
7Moby Dick
5 words
8I: Loomings
2K words
9II: The Carpetbag
1K words
10III: The Spouter-Inn
6K words
11IV: The Counterpane
2K words
12V: Breakfast
742 words
13VI: The Street
813 words
14VII: The Chapel
946 words
15VIII: The Pulpit
950 words
16IX: The Sermon
4K words
17X: A Bosom Friend
2K words
18XI: Nightgown
723 words
19XII: Biographical
882 words
20XIII: Wheelbarrow
2K words
21XIV: Nantucket
756 words
22XV: Chowder
1K words
23XVI: The Ship
5K words
24XVII: The Ramadan
2K words
25XVIII: His Mark
1K words
26XIX: The Prophet
1K words
27XX: All Astir
919 words
28XXI: Going Aboard
1K words
29XXII: Merry Christmas
2K words
30XXIII: The Lee Shore
365 words
31XXIV: The Advocate
2K words
32XXV: Postscript
282 words
33XXVI: Knights and Squires
1K words
34XXVII: Knights and Squires
2K words
35XXVIII: Ahab
1K words
36XXIX: Enter Ahab; To Him, Stubb
1K words
37XXX: The Pipe
291 words
38XXXI: Queen Mab
861 words
39XXXII: Cetology
5K words
40XXXIII: The Specksnyder
965 words
41XXXIV: The Cabin-Table
2K words
42XXXV: The Masthead
3K words
43XXXVI: The Quarterdeck
3K words
44XXXVII: Sunset
508 words
45XXXVIII: Dusk
394 words
46XXXIX: First Night-Watch
268 words
47XL: Midnight, Forecastle
2K words
48XLI: Moby Dick
4K words
49XLII: The Whiteness of the Whale
3K words
50XLIII: Hark!
304 words
51XLIV: The Chart
2K words
52XLV: The Affidavit
3K words
53XLVI: Surmises
995 words
54XLVII: The Mat-Maker
924 words
55XLVIII: The First Lowering
4K words
56XLIX: The Hyena
834 words
57L: Ahab’s Boat and Crew. Fedallah
1K words
58LI: The Spirit-Spout
1K words
59LII: The Albatross
715 words
60LIII: The Gam
2K words
61LIV: The Town-Ho’s Story
8K words
62LV: Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales
2K words
63LVI: Of the Less Erroneous Pictures of Whales, and the True Pictures of Whaling Scenes
1K words
64LVII: Of Whales in Paint; in Teeth; in Wood; in Sheet-Iron; in Stone; in Mountains; in Stars
942 words
65LVIII: Brit
948 words
66LIX: Squid
920 words
67LX: The Line
1K words
68LXI: Stubb Kills a Whale
2K words
69LXII: The Dart
567 words
70LXIII: The Crotch
475 words
71LXIV: Stubb’s Supper
3K words
72LXV: The Whale as a Dish
987 words
73LXVI: The Shark Massacre
541 words
74LXVII: Cutting In
730 words
75LXVIII: The Blanket
1K words
76LXIX: The Funeral
433 words
77LXX: The Sphynx
870 words
78LXXI: The Jeroboam’s Story
2K words
79LXXII: The Monkey-Rope
2K words
80LXXIII: Stubb and Flask Kill a Right Whale; and Then Have a Talk Over Him
2K words
81LXXIV: The Sperm Whale’s Head—Contrasted View
2K words
82LXXV: The Right Whale’s Head—Contrasted View
1K words
83LXXVI: The Battering-Ram
869 words
84LXXVII: The Great Heidelburgh Tun
586 words
85LXXVIII: Cistern and Buckets
2K words
86LXXIX: The Prairie
931 words
87LXXX: The Nut
902 words
88LXXXI: The Pequod Meets the Virgin
4K words
89LXXXII: The Honor and Glory of Whaling
1K words
90LXXXIII: Jonah Historically Regarded
776 words
91LXXXIV: Pitchpoling
805 words
92LXXXV: The Fountain
2K words
93LXXXVI: The Tail
2K words
94LXXXVII: The Grand Armada
4K words
95LXXXVIII: Schools and Schoolmasters
1K words
96LXXXIX: Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish
1K words
97XC: Heads or Tails
1K words
98XCI: The Pequod Meets the Rose-Bud
2K words
99XCII: Ambergris
968 words
100XCIII: The Castaway
2K words
101XCIV: A Squeeze of the Hand
1K words
102XCV: The Cassock
441 words
103XCVI: The Try-Works
2K words
104XCVII: The Lamp
243 words
105XCVIII: Stowing Down and Clearing Up
1K words
106XCIX: The Doubloon
2K words
107C: Leg and Arm
3K words
108CI: The Decanter
2K words
109CII: A Bower in the Arsacides
2K words
110CIII: Measurement of the Whale’s Skeleton
921 words
111CIV: The Fossil Whale
1K words
112CV: Does the Whale’s Magnitude Diminish?—Will He Perish?
2K words
113CVI: Ahab’s Leg
923 words
114CVII: The Carpenter
1K words
115CVIII: Ahab and the Carpenter
2K words
116CIX: Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin
840 words
117CX: Queequeg in His Coffin
2K words
118CXI: The Pacific
418 words
119CXII: The Blacksmith
926 words
120CXIII: The Forge
1K words
121CXIV: The Gilder
639 words
122CXV: The Pequod Meets the Bachelor
876 words
123CXVI: The Dying Whale
515 words
124CXVII: The Whale Watch
473 words
125CXVIII: The Quadrant
889 words
126CXIX: The Candles
3K words
127CXX: The Deck Towards the End of the First Night Watch
181 words
128CXXI: Midnight.—The Forecastle Bulwarks
621 words
129CXXII: Midnight Aloft.—Thunder and Lightning
51 words
130CXXIII: The Musket
1K words
131CXXIV: The Needle
1K words
132CXXV: The Log and Line
1K words
133CXXVI: The Life-Buoy
1K words
134CXXVII: The Deck
702 words
135CXXVIII: The Pequod Meets the Rachel
1K words
136CXXIX: The Cabin
581 words
137CXXX: The Hat
2K words
138CXXXI: The Pequod Meets the Delight
428 words
139CXXXII: The Symphony
2K words
140CXXXIII: The Chase—First Day
3K words
141CXXXIV: The Chase—Second Day
3K words
142CXXXV: The Chase—Third Day
5K words
143Epilogue
267 words
144Endnotes
2K words
145Colophon
167 words
146Uncopyright
345 words

A Morph Edition

Morph Books is on a mission to preserve and make accessible every public domain book ever written. This edition has been carefully formatted and is free to read, forever.