"To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme. No great and enduring volume can ever be written on the flea, though many there be that have tried it." Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick and of that quote, certainly knew a mighty theme when he saw one. His masterpiece is as much a study on the behaviours of the sperm whales that Melville saw while serving on a whaling ship as it is an exploration of the motives and characters of the men who pursue them.
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