The book is an epic sea-story of Captain Ahab's voyage in pursuit of Moby Dick, a great white whale. The opening line, "Call me Ishmael," is one of the most recognizable opening lines in Western literature. Ishmael then narrates the voyage of the whaleship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Ahab has one purpose: revenge on Moby Dick, a ferocious, enigmatic white whale which on a previous voyage destroyed Ahab's ship and severed his leg at the knee. The detailed and realistic descriptions of whale hunting and the process of extracting whale oil, as well as life aboard ship among a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God.

This is the ultimate in fine bookmaking--bound in genuine black leather w/gilt lettering and designs (including picture of Moby Dick on the front cover). Printed exclusively for Easton Press's "100 Greatest Books Ever Written" w/the frontispiece portrait specially commissioned for this edition (1977). Printed on archival, acid-neutral paper. Gilt-edge pages and silk bookmark.