Moby Dick

By: Herman Melville

Narrated by: William Hootkins

"Call me Ishmael." Thus starts the greatest American novel. Melville said himself that he wanted to write "a mighty book about a mighty theme" and so he did. It is a story of one man's obsessive revenge-journey against the white whale, Moby-Dick, who injured him in an earlier meeting. Woven into the story of the last journey of The Pequod is a mesh of philosophy, rumination, religion, history, and a mass of information about whaling through the ages.Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2005 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

Absolutely superb

What a revelation. I had never read Moby Dick, and my preconceptions were all wrong. The book is so much more than I thought, and my experience of it was aided immeasurably by the reader, who brought all kinds of interest to the story and to the character fo the narrator, Ishmael, that I would never have gleaned from reading this in print. I could not recommend this more highly to anyone who is interested in finding out what Moby Dick is all about, or those who may have read it and wondered what the big deal was.

This is the way to experience Moby Dick

I’ve been vowing to read Moby Dick for years but somehow never made time. And it is a commitment — a long, deeply detailed book that might teach you a bit more than you need to know about whaling but so much that you need to know about human nature. Melville is a brilliant writer, effortlessly moving between literary styles and, in the process, breaking stylistic ground. Every author since owes him a debt. The audiobook gave me a way to more easily work Moby Dick into my schedule. And I believe it also added to the experience and my comprehension of Melville’s words, thanks to the animated, powerful narration of William Hootkins. Don’t choose any other version.

Finally

Finally got to the end of Moby Dick
Couldn’t have done it without the superbly preformed reading by Mr. Hootkins

The narrator brings it to life

I can’t imagine I would have ever finished the book without the narrator’s performance! Awesome job

Brilliant reading

Can't recommend this reading highly enough. Melville writes some very long sentences and some complicated chapters. But Hootkins brilliantly points the meaning, cantering through sub-clauses, slowing down for main verbs, subjects and objects. Ismael is an amusing narrator and Hootkins brings out his humor. It's a funny book. I have found Moby Dick a hard read, but have loved listening to it and Hootkins' mellifluous story-telling. A revelation.
Many thanks.