The iconic story of a ship captain's obsessive hunt for a terrible white whale, Moby-Dick is universally regarded one of the most influential novels of the American Renaissance era. The Norton Library edition features the text of the first U.S. (1851) edition, with thorough endnotes that clarify obscure terms and references. A buoyant introduction by Jeffrey Insko (Oakland University) offers the contemporary reader a number of enticing ways into the novel, empowering them to read with understanding and pleasure despite its infamous reputation.