Moby-Dick, The Folio Society.
The Folio Society proudly presents Moby-Dick—a landmark limited edition of Melville’s magnum opus, publishing to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the 175th anniversary of the novel’s first release. With a new introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Dirda and striking illustrations by renowned artist Mu Pan, Moby-Dick is as wondrous and wildly imaginative as it was when it first published in 1851.
What distinguishes Folio from other publishers—aside from its commitment to beautifully handcrafted, hardcover books—is its willingness to listen to readers. In anticipation of America’s 250th anniversary, Folio invited its community to vote on the “Greatest American Novel.” Moby-Dick won handily, receiving 1,281 out of 4,823 votes.
Moby-Dick, The Folio Society.
Once the results were in, Folio devoted itself to crafting a book worthy of Melville’s text. Every detail of this limited edition captures the elemental power of the novel, from the full leather binding to the gun-metal foiled edges to the inset label of Captain Ahab’s great white whale, blocked with harpoons and other details. Mu Pan’s full-color illustrations are luminous and dreamlike, plunging readers into a world of roiling seas and shattering shipwrecks.
Illustrations © Mu Pan 2026, from Moby-Dick, The Folio Society.
At once an adventure story on the high seas and an exploration of the uncharted regions of the soul, Moby-Dick is an undoubtedly American treasure and a perfect celebration of the U.S. Semiquincentennial.
“Moby-Dick is a book to dream over: not just a novel, but
a vision of the forces that drive men to ruin and greatness.”
—Philip Roth, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of
American Pastoral and Goodbye, Columbus
PRODUCTION DETAILS
- Limited Edition: 750 copies
- 10 full-color illustrations, including 3 double-page spreads, and a 3-page fold-out of whale illustrations, brilliantly rendered by Mu Pan
- Bound in blocked leather with an inset leather whale label
- Gun-metal foiled book edges
- Presented in a clamshell box covered in blocked, Coloretta cloth with a blocked leather inset label on the front board and lined with Suedel Luxe Alaska cloth
- Letterpress printed limitation label on Wibalin Recycled Natural Storm paper, signed by Mu Pan and Michael Dirda
- First edition text
- Printed in blue and black ink throughout
- Textured paper endpapers
- Ribbon marker
Illustrations © Mu Pan 2026, from Moby-Dick, The Folio Society.
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- ABOUT HERMAN MELVILLE
Herman Melville was born in 1819 in New York City to wealthy parents of New English and Dutch origin. When his father died bankrupt, Melville left school, aged 12, to work as a bank clerk. He attended night school and became a teacher before signing on as a merchant seaman. In 1841, he boarded the whaling ship Acushnet. After a year and a half, Melville jumped ship and spent a month among a tribe in the Marquesas Islands, before making his way home via Hawaii and Peru. In New York, he published several novels, to instant success. His meeting with Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, while he was writing Moby-Dick, was a pivotal moment and filled him with inspiration. Moby-Dick’s reception was mixed, and his following novel Pierre was a failure. Melville’s reputation faded, and his later years were shadowed by his son’s suicide and his own ill-health. He worked as an inspector in the New York Customs House for nearly 20 years until his death in 1891.
- ABOUT HERMAN MELVILLE
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
My work is about telling stories. Since childhood, storytelling has had a strong influence on me. I grew up listening to my parents’ recorded voices reading children’s stories on a tape, in an effort to keep me company while they were away at work. Due to their absence and having no one to answer the children’s classic question “why,” I began to imagine the reasons why. I also began to make keen observations and develop a photographic memory. As I grew older, I became drawn to history, which I consider a type of storytelling. I read about the history of China, Japan, and the United States in depth. I began re-creating historic scenes, as well as scenes from daily lives of common people (and sometimes people in animal form, using my imagination). In these scenes, I try to think about what I would have observed if I had been there. The combination of all of the above enables me to project my views and imaginings accurately on a surface.Born in Taiwan, Mu Pan studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and now teaches at the New York Academy of Art. He has exhibited in New York, Paris, Cologne, and Madrid. For Folio he illustrated Wu Ch’eng-en’s Monkey (1942; Folio 2023) and Melville’s Moby-Dick (1851; Folio 2026).
- ABOUT THE INTRODUCER
Michael Dirda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning literary journalist and the author of five collections of essays: Readings (2000), Bound to Please (2005), Book by Book (2006), Classics for Pleasure (2007), and Browsings (2015). He has also written the memoir An Open Book (2003) and On Conan Doyle (2012), which received an Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America. His introductions for The Folio Society include The Great Gatsby (1925; Folio 2013), Dune (1965; Folio 2016), East of Eden (1952; Folio 2017), Atlas Shrugged (1957; Folio 2018), Cat’s Cradle (1963; Folio 2022), Weird Tales (1999; Folio 2024) and A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959; Folio 2024).
- ABOUT THE FOLIO SOCIETY
Folio is an employee-owned, independent publisher that has thrilled and delighted a band of dedicated readers across the globe since 1947. Today, from our workspace in the heart of London’s vibrant Shad Thames, Folio continues that tradition by crafting exquisite, illustrated books. Folio publishes many of the greatest names in publishing, in editions which reflect an extraordinary commitment to the craft of book-making and design. Folio’s award-winning books include George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones, Madeline Miller’s A Song of Achilles, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, and Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle. Proudly independent for over 75 years, in 2021 The Folio Society became an Employee Ownership Trust. Folio’s team of editors, designers and artisans will do whatever it takes to give each title everything it deserves, from outstanding intellectual firepower to extraordinary craftsmanship.
Available exclusively from Folio via www.foliosociety.com.
