When Ishmael sets sail on the whaling ship Pequod one cold Christmas Day he is clueless to the horrors that await him on the vast and merciless ocean The ships strange captain Ahab is in the grip of an obsession to hunt down the famous white whale Moby Dick and will stop at nothing on his quest to annihilate his nemesis Considered a failure during Melvilles lifetime but now hailed as a classic American novel Ishmaels story combines symbolism and philosophical debate with gripping adventure narrative in an uncanny and unforgettable fashion An extract from Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex by Owen Chasewhich inspired Melvilles own storyis also included
