Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, poet and a short story writer. He was a seaman in his youth. His masterpiece Moby Dick is about a duel between a great white whale and a whaling ship captain Ahab. The whale sinks the ship along with Captain Ahab at the end of the book. Despite this the book has been required reading for millions of school kids.
Illustration by Kathleen McGuinness. Visit her watercolor portraits.
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