Moby Dick
Herman Melville
51 people recommended it in 28 threads, 2009–2026.
2 commenters pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
Apart from the obvious "literary merit", reading this book feels like being at sea, isolated from the world, where life is subject to the rhythms of much more powerful forces, and you can look around and study deeply the rich detail present even in a closed system like a ship.
The language is great. Melville is definitely one of those 19th century Americans who could work the run-on sentence for good.
There’s something about that era of sea travel that speaks to my soul.
Moby Dick and Journey to the West were probably the most sheer enjoyment I got out of books
And so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.
It is an unbelievably rich experience now, filled with all the wonder, terror, joy, and boredom that comes from trying to find your own meaning.
Where it comes up
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