Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. It was not broadly recognized initially, but in the 1920s it was rediscovered. The story tells about the sailor Ishmael's voyage on a whaling ship under the leadership of Captain Ahab. Ahab wants to take revenge on Moby Dick, the whale responsible for the loss of the captain's leg. This confrontation will result in many misfortunes for the novel's characters.