Moby-Dick (Macmillan Collector's Library)

Beautiful book

I gave it a five star review because I don’t know a better way to just let people know that I was personally disappointed at how very small this edition was. I’d searched on Amazon for quite a while for just a quality, solid hardback edition. I don’t measure my books and do not appreciate having to do math when ordering something. I think it was misrepresented and I feel misled even though and admittedly so I’d be easily challenged if some lawyer were to criticize me for lack of research. Dirty pool.. It is a challenge to read the text and turn the pages. As opposed to the desired and expected experience of effortlessly moving from one page to another with no consideration of difficulty.. I think the content deserves the respect I was expecting because it is one of the greatest books I’ve ever read, which is why I wanted to have a physical copy to hold onto. It’s really beautiful for a tiny little book That will just sit on the shelf as a showpiece for some idiot who will never read it and never convince anyone else to read it. I wanted something that I could sit down with and share.

This review concerns the Macmillan Collector's Library edition of Moby Dick (here's the Amazon product link: Moby-Dick (Macmillan Collector's Library) . Moby Dick's content is better reviewed by other reviews; this review specifically concerns the MacMillan publication and printing quality (which is exceptional). Please read details below: This edition is beautiful: All edges of the textblock are gilt in mirror-bright gold; the cover is understated with an abstract illustration of the whale and a simple serif title. The book's dust jacket is colored a soft, inviting, powder-blue and that same color shades the cover boards and the silk ribbon marker. A floral pattern of oak leaves and acorns adorn the front-and-end pages. This same oak/acorn pattern is embossed on the front cloth board giving the book a very classic look. This edition of Moby Dick is full, unabridged, and unexpurgated. There is an afterword by Nigel Cliff, a historian of maritime exploration. The text itself is laid out plainly (a plus) and the form factor of the book overall is very conducive to read in one hand (the book measures approximately 6"x4"x1.5"). They've chosen a serif font (probably Garamond or Times Roman) and the bright white pages make the smallish text highly readable (I'd say it's about 9-10 point font). Overall, a lovely edition of Moby Dick; a treasure you'll pass along to a grandchild. Great work from MacMillan on bringing such a high quality edition to the public for the low price of ~$12.00 (depending on where you buy it: the MSRP printed on the jacket is $14.99).

Smaller than a Gideon bible. One more reason. Through it with difficulty due to size and paper quality. and all the oddballs...

For those of you who, like me, actually want a small copy of a book that you can literally stick in your pocket, this is the perfect book! Excellent pocket size and will fit in the back pocket of my jeans perfectly so I can bring it with me wherever I go and read without lugging around a ten pound book that won’t fit in my purse. 10/10

This review is for the MacMillan's Library hardcover edition of Moby Dick. I purchased my copy of this edition in 2021. The book does not appear to have been edited or censored by sensitivity readers. However, as I have only just now read the book, in 2024, I cannot verify if current printings of this Edition are being censored, at this time. On the positive side, the entire story is here in its original form, as far as I can tell. The MacMillan's color scheme, along with the cover art, gilded page edges, and built-in ribbon make this Edition appear far more expensive than it is. As for the negatives, this edition of the book is quite small, only about the size of the average human hand in length and width. It looks rather strange and out of place between other hardcovers of standard size. The pages, though well printed, are quite thin, and the Gilded edges on my copy had stuck together, which made them very difficult to separate. As for the story itself, I must say it was not what I was expecting. I had always assumed that Moby Dick was just another linear story. However, an excessive amount of the book is comprised of seemingly endless amounts of biological and historical information regarding whales and the whaling profession. All of which appear out of nowhere, take up significant amounts of time, and by the end of the book, seem to have dwarfed the main narrative entirely. All In all, it's a very attractive edition of the classic tale. One that looks good on any bookshelf. For those looking to read this story for the first time, it's as difficult and lengthy a read as people say. This is not just the story of Ishmael, Captain Ahab, and the maniacal hunt for revenge against the legendary White Whale. This is a smaller narrative surrounded by a tapestry of varying thoughts, factoids and philosophies. It's a challenge, to be sure. But, one that leaves you feeling accomplished for having conquered it.

The book itself is obviously a classic for a reason, but this copy is great. As long as you know that it’s a rather tiny edition (can fit in my hand) you should be able to appreciate how beautiful this copy is. Gold pages, amazing art on the sleeve— and the hardcover (without the sleeve) is a beautiful blue with ingravings on the front. The finely crafted details of the copy itself goes hand in hand with the detailed piece of literature that the book is. Also comes with one of those built in ribbon book marks. Beautiful. One of my favorite amazon purchases.

I have wanted to read this novel for a while and this is the perfect addition to my collection. The book itself is fairly small, which makes the words even smaller, so if you have poor eyesight, you may want to opt for a different version of this book. Absolutely love the story and writing.

Obviously the contents is fantastic. Be careful you have checked the size. I didn’t and was shocked at the overall size and print size

Para adolescentes con B2

Es más chico de lo esperado pero a mí me encantó, muy elegante, minimalista una edición discreta, con cantos dorados y marca pagina

My first empression upon opening the box was "Oh no! I won't be able to read this because the text will be microscopically small" But I was wrong! The font that the publisher chose is very easy to read, thank you. The book itself is lovely. The pale blue hard cover is of good quality and has an attractive embossed design on the front. And the gilt-edged paper is very, very fine quality for such an inexpensive book. The book is nicely bound and includes a ribbon page marker. And it's the perfect size to tuck into a handbag or daypack for the transit ride to work or a day at the beach!

I won't review Moby Dick the novel, which is amazing and has had plenty said of it; I'll just say this is a very nice edition, a small book which fits comfortably into your hands and is nice to hold and to read despite how long the novel is - it's properly bound, has a bookmark, and the pages are edged in gold - for the price it's absolutely lovely and makes a nice gift.