"In this wild, beautiful romance, Herman Melville seems to have spoken the very secret of the sea, and to have drawn into his tale all the magic, all the sadness, all the wild joy of many waters. It stands quite alone; it strikes a note no other sea writer has ever struck. It is a work not only unique of its kind, but a great achievement—the expression of an imagination that rises to the highest, and so is amongst the world's great works of art."

—John Masefield

(The Modern Library edition of "Moby Dick" is complete and unabridged).