The white whale becomes the object of Captain Ahab’s consuming pursuit in Moby-Dick. Ishmael is drawn into that quest aboard the Pequod, whose company includes Starbuck and Queequeg. Melville places Ahab’s obsession within a whaling voyage shared by a varied group of men.

This Penguin Classics edition provides supporting material for the text, including an introduction and explanatory notes. Maps, illustrations and a glossary of nautical vocabulary accompany the novel’s maritime setting.