PART 1: Biography of the physical descriptions of the book: Material

When you wander into the world that is the 1979 publication of Moby Dick by Herman Melville, you will first see a blue glossy cover representing the blue ocean with wave-like texture, similar to the waves that would have washed over the Pequod. On the spine, you will see Melville’s MOBY DICK Arion Press engraved on it, and when you finally open the book, you will see that the first page is a white blank page, thus representing the vast nothingness of the ocean and the whiteness of the whale. You can see it is one piece of paper, thus insinuating that this book is a folio.

You then turn through five blank white pages (showcasing the abundance of paper available in the late 1970s) before reaching the title page, which features a woodcut-stamped portrait of Herman Melville, his name, and the title printed in blue: MOBY DICK; or, The Whale and THE ARION PRESS: San Francisco, 1979. This book functions as both a reader response and a memorial, as the second page reads, “In token of my admiration for his genius, this book is inscribed to Nathaniel Hawthorne,” Melville’s pen pal for two years. Turning the next few pages, labeled iv–vii, you find the table of contents in Roman type, followed by a map of the world marking major whaling grounds and the inferred track of the Pequod. Finally, you arrive at the opening line of this great American novel, where the first word of the sentence appears large and blue, symbolizing the vast blue ocean and suggesting that, just as one can lose themselves at sea, one can also become immersed in the words on the page.

This fine press book was created for both enjoyment and aesthetic appreciation, and its large size not only represents the whale but also serves as a status symbol. I hypothesize that it would have been kept in a private library or displayed prominently by a Moby Dick enthusiast. Its thick, textured pages reveal slight lines and traces of acidity, and if you look closely under the light, you can see a whale-shaped watermark. Additionally, the pages are torn, serrated, and raw, suggesting that the entire sheet was used and intentionally left untrimmed.

The excess space on the page can be compared to the blubber of a whale and even to a picture frame, displaying the words on the page as art, not just content to be read, which is very fitting because this book is classified as an art book. The beautiful images were created from relief printing, specifically, woodcut stamps, and these scattered images are undeniably eye-catching. They help reframe and visualize the story and even create a new way to interpret the age-old tale that is Moby Dick.

My last comments about the physicality of this version of Moby Dick are that there is no marginalia, bookplate, or any imprints made by previous owners. This book has been extremely well kept over the years, and it feels almost brand new. There are also no signatures for binding, and the book was bound with blue thread. This beautiful codex contains 576 pages, ending with an epilogue and a colophon. To finish the book, you have to turn five more empty white pages to reach the end. When you reach the end, it is clear that the size, color choices, images, and textures added to the novel were purposeful and representative of its content. 

PART 2 ​​Scholarly Analysis: The aspect of this book that not only tremendously stood out to me but singlehandedly led me to choose it was the book’s size and the white space surrounding the text on the page. I found this to be incredibly interesting because I have read and studied Moby Dick before, in a small codex form, and bringing that experience with me when viewing the 1979 Arion Press publication opened my eyes to the fact that the two forms led to two completely different ways of reading the same story. This then led me to the idea that the excess white and vast space surrounding the words on the pages of the 1979 Arion Press publication of Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick was a thoughtful and purposeful act made by its creator to reframe the words of Moby Dick and alter the way we interpret the novel. The design choice acts as a reader response which presents the novel in a new light as not just literature but a peice of art, which, instead of being viewed independently, can be viewed with multiple people. This prompts a reevaluation of how we read the “great American novel,” demonstrating that form profoundly shapes our experience of content.

The first copy of Moby Dick by Herman Melville was published in 1851, bound in the standard codex form that made the book remarkably accessible and portable, allowing readers to carry it anywhere they wished to go. This condensed, compact format creates an intimate reading experience, making you feel as though you are confined aboard the Pequod alongside Ishmael, a sensation that deeply shapes how the story is read. The words are smaller and closer together, and the margins are minimal. This small codex was designed for independent, personal reading, something you wouldn’t necessarily share with another person.

In contrast, the 1979 Arion Press publication of Moby Dick invites a very different kind of engagement. When opening its vast white pages and bold blue cover, you feel as though you are stepping into a museum or art gallery. You are no longer reading Moby Dick privately but viewing it through an artful lens, perhaps alongside someone else, much like how large art installations are experienced by multiple viewers at once. This edition’s scale transforms the act of reading into a shared, visual experience.

This codex’s considerable size, extravagant images, and vast margins allow the reader’s eyes to drift leisurely across each page, transforming the act of reading into a visual experience. In contrast, most novels, especially small, portable codices, are not designed to be visual experiences, which is one reason this version is so unique. The large format alters our perception; it doesn’t simply feel like reading an ordinary book but rather like viewing a luxurious art piece. The five pages that open and close the novel can be compared to walking through a hallway before entering a museum or art gallery. To create separation, some museums use clean white walls between each artwork, and these pages evoke that same sense of quiet transition.

This adaptation of Moby Dick should not be viewed simply as a novel but as an art piece. The way it is framed mirrors that of a traditional artwork, largely due to the use of a white background. Placing artwork within a frame with a white mat serves not only to protect the piece but also to enhance its visual impact. This framing creates space and separation, offering a distraction-free way for viewers to focus on what is most important. Similarly, the white space surrounding the words and illustrations in the 1979 Arion Press publication of Moby Dick serves the same purpose: to draw our eyes to the art on the page. In this way, the design itself reinforces the argument that this adaptation of Moby Dick is not merely a novel, but a work of art.

This form of Moby Dick and its deliberate use of paper and space on each page was a purposeful choice made by its creator. I believe this book came to exist because someone was profoundly transformed by the “great American novel” and felt inspired to craft their own adaptation. The story of Moby Dick itself is deeply concerned with reading, education, power, and how we interpret the world around us. As a result, this work of literature has sparked countless reader responses due to its enlightening and life-changing nature. I think someone was so moved by the novel’s content that they felt compelled to create a new version, one that highlights how artful the text truly is. The novel’s interpretive nature invites endless hypotheses about its meaning, much like a work of art.

In all, this adaptation of Moby Dick’s large form changes the way we read and interpret the novel. With the white framing space encircling the words and pictures on the page, we are pushed to view this codex as art, not a novel. Traditionally, novels are typically small and bound in a way that makes it easy to take from one place to the next. This codex, in comparison, is big and heavy and would be very hard to lug around with you all day. This wouldn’t be a book read on the train on the way to work or shoved in a purse or bag. This codex would be stored in a library or on display, in the same way that art pieces are set on display. This codex was created as a reader response. Somebody wanted to reframe this novel as art and change where we read it and how we read it. We no longer have to imagine what the world of Moby Dick would have looked like because it is framed for us with pictures on the page. Moby Dick also becomes a shared experience, its grand scale allowing multiple people to view and engage with it at once. Altogether, this demonstrates how form transforms the way we absorb content, the spaces in which we read, and the people we read with.