As my friend and fellow writer Dave reminds me, today is the 158th anniversary of the publication of Moby-Dick; or, the Whale by Herman Melville in America. It was preceded by its British "counterpart" The Whale; or, Moby-Dick by almost a month.
Moby-Dick; or, the Whale was first published on November 14, 1851 by Harper & Brothers of New York.
The Whale; or, Moby-Dick was first published on October 18, 1851 by Richard Bentley of London.
The American edition was typeset and ready to be published prior to the British edition, even though the latter ended up being published first. The British edition is a different book than the American edition, however, and not only due to the change of title. Melville made changes and corrections to his manuscript, which had been typeset in America and provided the proof pages for the British edition. Bentley also made changes, removing or changing passages that he felt would upset his Victorian reading audience, especially those of sexual, religious, or political content.
So, here's a hearty "Happy Birthday" to the American version of Melville's masterpiece!
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