Moby Dick, or the Whale


Read by Stewart Wills

(4.5 stars; 2817 reviews)

Few things, even in literature, can really be said to be unique — but Moby Dick is truly unlike anything written before or since. The novel is nominally about the obsessive hunt by the crazed Captain Ahab of the book’s eponymous white whale. But interspersed in that story are digressions, paradoxes, philosophical riffs on whaling and life, and a display of techniques so advanced for its time that some have referred to the 1851 Moby Dick as the first “modern” novel. (Summary by Stewart Wills) (24 hr 37 min)

Chapters

Chapter 000: Etymology and Extracts 29:13 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 001-002 23:56 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 003 34:53 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 004-007 27:10 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 008-009 29:36 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 010-012 19:28 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 013-015 23:08 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 016 35:18 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 017-021 42:49 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 022-025 27:25 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 026-027 19:20 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 028-031 25:00 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 032 36:58 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 033-035 38:11 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 036-040 42:17 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 041 26:29 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 042-044 43:36 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 045-047 37:09 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 048-050 38:29 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 051-053 27:05 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 054 54:14 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 055-058 37:09 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 059-063 38:45 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 064-067 37:05 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 068-071 34:21 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 072-073 24:34 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 074-077 30:27 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 078-080 24:03 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 081-082 36:45 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 083-086 37:38 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 087-088 40:31 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 089-091 33:56 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 092-096 42:47 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 097-100 43:25 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 101-104 40:03 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 105-108 37:07 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 109-113 41:00 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 114-118 25:57 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 119-123 32:43 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 124-127 32:40 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 128-132 42:23 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 133 24:58 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 134 22:48 Read by Stewart Wills
Chapter 135 and Epilogue 35:01 Read by Stewart Wills

Reviews

A Must "Read". PERIOD.


(5 stars)

What can I say? The book is a classic that's still frequently referenced by everyone from your next-door neighbor to tenured professors, so it's of course helpful to have read it and most certainly important to UNDERSTAND its content. The fact that it's FREE on Librivox is AWESOME because - yes - it's a VERY LENGTHY (sometimes discouragingly so) novel and many START reading but don't finish. With someone reading it TO YOU...There's no excuse not to read the novel in its entirety. *** SUGGESTION: Keep pen/paper handy and be ready to rewind/replay often if you really want to understand Moby Dick. You're going to hear words and phrases you've never come across before, and will want to write them down in order to research their definitions/meanings. If you don't do this, you'll get much less out of the novel and may even become so discouraged that you stop "reading" altogether. That would be a shame. Happy listening!! ;-)

THANK YOU


(5 stars)

This particular recording is probably my favourite piece of art in existence. Thanks so much for taking to time to record it and present it for free.

Thanks all!


(5 stars)

Thank you to Librivox and Stewart Wills for bringing this to us free of charge. I have tried a number of free audio book apps but this is far and away the best. Loving Stewart's thoughtful and nuanced rendition of this, the Great American Novel. His NE tones are perfect for setting the scene. I tried reading this many years ago but somehow other things got prioritised and I never finished it and being high on the bucket list was determined to someday do so. Now that we are painting our house in Montreal in the South of France, I can listen to Stewart's dulcet tones and vicariously roll with Ismail Queeqeg and captain Ahab hunting the great white whale whilst splattering myself in paint. What a world we live in! John B. Stewart - Melbourne Australia

an epic book read brilliantly


(5 stars)

Thank you Mr Wills for undertaking a seemingly dauntless task and making it sound effortless. Moby Dick has been on my bucket list of reading for years but have never managed to get far. It strikes me as often Shakespearean in content and delivery and I would not have the fortitude to stick with the many educational digressions and footnotes if I read it. The charictarisations are remarkable if not over lengthy. I actually enjoyed much of the whaling information and history. I felt this contributed to the story which I think can be classed among the great epics of literature. I recommend any one who feels like giving up to stick with it.

One of the best public domain books. Excellent narrator.


(5 stars)

Absolutely loved this audiobook. If it weren’t for this recording, I probably would have taken years longer to get to a book which has become an instant favorite. I read it alongside a digital kindle version, which was also free, and which I highly recommend, since the language is sometimes very dense and it can be easy to lose your place in one of Melville’s longer run-on sentences. That being said, this narrator does an excellent job at remaining lively, compelling and easy to understand throughout his reading of this entire tome. Thanks for a great experience!

A True Masterpiece!


(5 stars)

Masterfully written. Masterfully read. It was a privilege to set sail with the reader, Stuart Wills, as we voyaged through the realities and frailities of the human condition. We, all of us, are sailing through life aboard the 'Peaquod' admist stormy seas, swarms of sharks... and even the occasional white whale. Thank you Mr. Melville for charting the course!

Well worth a listen!


(5 stars)

While Moby Dick may be a very long novel, it is certainly worth a listen! The descriptive imagery and individuality of each character's voice makes all of them, as well as the faithful Pequod, feel like old friends by the end.

Moby Dick


(5 stars)

Absolutely fantastic!! The reader was beyond excellent!! My greatest regret is that I waited this long to set sail into this epic story.