Herman Melville was born on August 1, 1819 and died on September 28, 1891. He was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. His best known works include Typee, written in 1846, a romantic description of his experiences in the Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dic, written in 1851. His work pulls on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. He established a complex, baroque style; the vocabulary is rich and original. He had a strong sense of rhythm instilled in the elaborated sentences; the imagery is often mystical or ironic. He also uses references to biblical scripture, myth, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts.
Moby-Dic tells the story of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship "Pequod", for revenge on Moby Dic, the white whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. Moby-Dic was published to mixed reviews, for some it was considered a commercial failure, while others appraised its genius. Its reputation as a "Great American Novel" was established only in the 20th century, after the centennial of its author's birth. William Faulkner confessed he wished he had written the book himself. D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world" and "the greatest book of the sea ever written".
the thing that Ahab, The Captain of the ship, offers as a reward for spotting Moby-dic is:
A gold Coin
Note: I took away the "K" in the name of the book because the word Dic-k is considered cursing here, preposterous,