Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is considered a treasure of American literature. The author never lived to see the book's success, however, as it was published in 1851 and its first surge of popularity came only after the First World War. Moby-Dick tells the story of Ishmael, a sailor on the whaleship Pequod. Ishmael soon discovers that the mysterious Captain Ahab is possessed of a singular goal: to find and kill the white whale that bite off Ahab's leg on a previous voyage, known as Moby-Dick. A haunting exploration of obsession, Moby-Dick has been adapted for film, television and stage as well as graphic novels and radio.