'Moby-Dick' is a novel written by:

"Moby-Dick; or, The Whale" is a novel by the American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851. It is regarded as one of the greatest American novels.

About the novel:

• It begins with the famous line "Call me Ishmael", spoken by the narrator, a young sailor who joins the whaling ship "Pequod" from Nantucket.
• The ship's captain, Ahab, has lost one leg to Moby Dick, a huge white sperm whale, and is obsessed with taking revenge on it.

Ahab drives the crew on a dangerous hunt across the oceans. In the end, Moby Dick destroys the ship, and Ishmael is the only survivor.

The novel includes detailed descriptions of whaling, whales and life at sea, along with philosophical reflections on fate, obsession, nature, good and evil.

Other characters include Queequeg, a harpooner from the South Seas who becomes Ishmael's friend, and Starbuck, the first mate. (The coffee company Starbucks was named after this character.)

The novel was not successful in Melville's lifetime but was recognised as a masterpiece in the 20th century.

It was based partly on Melville's own experience on a whaling ship and on the true story of the whaleship "Essex", which was sunk by a sperm whale in 1820.

About Herman Melville (1819-1891):

• He was born in New York City.
• His other works include "Typee" (1846), "Omoo", "Bartleby, the Scrivener" (a short story) and "Billy Budd" (published after his death).

Other sea and adventure stories:

• Ernest Hemingway: "The Old Man and the Sea" (1952).
• Robert Louis Stevenson: "Treasure Island" (1883).
• Jack London: "The Sea-Wolf" (1904) and "The Call of the Wild".
• Jules Verne: "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" (1870).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Ernest Hemingway wrote "The Old Man and the Sea".
• ✗Jack London wrote "The Call of the Wild" and "The Sea-Wolf".
• ✗Robert Louis Stevenson wrote "Treasure Island".