My Position on Moby Dick and Why I Hold It

Moby Dick is two books bound together. The first is one of the great American novels: a study in obsession, leadership, and the cost of pursuing something that does not care whether you exist. The second is a detailed scientific treatise on whaling published in 1851. Both are genuinely present. The first book is worth every page. The second book is Melville testing whether you want the first book enough to earn it. My position is that you should read the whole thing and I will defend that position.