These compact hardbacks have coloured end papers, embossed gold and coloured blocking. These editions are admired by literature-lovers and the design savvy looking for reasonably priced, beautiful hardbacks to add to their collections. Moby Dick is the story of Captain Ahab's quest to avenge the whale that 'reaped' his leg. The quest is an obsession and the novel is a diabolical study of how a man becomes a fanatic. But it is also a hymn to democracy.