Moby-Dick is now considered a great classic of American
literature and contains one of the most famous opening
lines in fiction: “Call me Ishmael.” Initially, though, the
book about Captain Ahab and his quest to catch a giant
white whale was a flop.

Its author, Herman Melville was born in New York City in
1819. As a young man, he spent time in the merchant
marines, the U.S. Navy and on a whaling ship in the
South Seas.

Herman Melville
(August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891)