Moby Dick, or, The Whale

Melville, Herman

Published by Random House, New York, 1930

Small Octavo. It was THIS Rockwell Kent Edition which put Moby Dick in the consciousness of America and the world. On the map, so to speak. The reputation of what is arguably the greatest American novel was not established until the printing of this edition, published by Random House in 1930, 80 years after Melville began writing it. Melville began work on Moby Dick in 1850 and the work was published in 1851 to mixed reviews. Only 500 copies were printed in Britain and 2,915 in America. Neither sold out and three years later 1st Edition copies were still available. And thus, Moby Dick was relegated to the dust bin of obscurity. Enter ROCKWELL KENT, one of the most sought-after illustrators of the first half of the 20th century, with a world-wide following. Kent's illustrations were reprinted with permission from the Lakeside Press, which had just produced its own three-volume edition of the seminal classic. Kent's 280 woodcut Art Deco illustrations, coupled with a superb production by Random House, helped create THE consummate edition of Moby Dick and launched Melville's novel to iconic status. xxxi, [1], 822, [1] [Epilogue, Colophon] [2] pp. Near Fine in a Very Good+ dust jacket. Bound in black cloth over boards with titles and lavish illustration stamped in silver on front and spine. Square tight binding. Clean interior. The notoriously fragile dust jacket, the finest we've seen, in nicer condition than most, with very mild edge wear and a touch of age toning. Presents handsomely in archival mylar. A lovely and quite desirable copy of one of the greatest literary editions published in the 20th century. Seller Inventory # 17836

Bibliographic Details

Title: Moby Dick, or, The Whale
Publisher: Random House, New York
Publication Date: 1930
Binding: Hardcover
Illustrator: Rockwell Kent
Condition: Near Fine
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+
Edition: 1st Thus.