It's not everyday I read a novel this old (1851) or this long or on such a strange topic. But it's a classic and it's a target of mine to read or re-read at least 2-3 classics a year. A classic in my book, however, can also be a book written in the 1960's. Or perhaps even later.

Anyway, I must have read a Reader's Digest version of this one as a young girl, because some central bits of the action were known to me. But I certainly didn't read the whole thing - omg, it's so comprehensive. At the end, there's simply nothing the reader doesn't know about whaling in the 1800's.

Sometimes I almost gave up - when it was at its most long-winded. But then it would pick up its pace again and I'd be breathless. I listened to it in a slightly dated audio version, chosen among a large selection. I chose this one, because the narrator's tone of voice fits the novel's.

Melville must have been a very learned man, because he quotes the Greeks and he quotes this that and the other that I don't know. And he can alliterate! And he does it all the time. Amazing.

This novel is demanding and probably not for everyone. I notice that there's a book called Why Read Moby-Dick (by Nathaniel Philbrick). That might be an idea for those who think it's too massive an undertaking to read the original work.

It took me 2-3 months to get through it... Have read a couple of other books in between.