From Charles Scammon's Marine Mammals of the North-western Coast of North America, 1874

Saturday, November 14 marks the 164th anniversary of the publication of Melville's masterpiece, Moby-Dick. In honor of this occasion, I made a "cool, collected dive" into the Library's collections, to share early editions, illustrated works, whale charts, and even scrimshaw—works that speak to the universe within this leviathan of a novel.

And if you think you may find yourself weary of the "carking cares of earth, and seeking sentiment in tar and blubber" this weekend in New York, then you can do no better than to head to the Whitney Museum of American Art, which is hosting a marathon reading of this unforgettable novel.