Moby Dick was published in 1851. It was written by Herman Melville and is considered one of the Great American Novels and a treasure.
Herman Melville started off strong. His first three books were well received and he became very popular. After this he declined and was almost forgotten at the time of his death. In the early 20th century, however, there was a revival of his works and that was when Moby Dick came into its place.
Melville had an interesting life. One of his earliest jobs was as a green hand on a ship sailing for Liverpool. After that he signed up on a whaling ship. He had firsthand knowledge of the things he wrote about.
He eventually deserted from that ship and spent three weeks living in the Marquesas Islands among Typee natives. He had many more adventures on ships before he settled down to marriage, writing, and managing his farm.
He had some success as a writer before falling out of grace. He then spent some time on the lecture circuit and finished off working 19 years as a customs inspector in New York city. He died in his home in 1891 at the age of 72.
