Moby-Dick Melville Norton Critical Edition 1967 Paperback
$21.00
📖 Moby-Dick: A Norton Critical Edition by Herman Melville (1967, W. W. Norton & Company) — the first Norton Critical Edition of the novel, edited by Harrison Hayford and Hershel Parker. This copy is a circa-1970 printing in Very Good- condition, with a neat previous owner’s name inscribed on the first page.
QUICK FACTS
- Author: Herman Melville (1819–1891)
- Editors: Harrison Hayford (Northwestern University) and Hershel Parker (University of Southern California)
- Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York
- Year: 1967 first edition; this copy is a circa-1970 printing (printing sequence 7890 on the copyright page)
- Format: Trade paperback, approx. 7 x 5 inches
- ISBN: 0-393-09670-X (paper edition; cloth edition 0-393-04284-7)
- Condition: Very Good- (full report below)
THE STORY
Moby-Dick follows Captain Ahab and the crew of the whaling ship Pequod on a single-minded quest to hunt the white whale that took his leg. Published in 1851, the novel interweaves the whaling voyage with encyclopedic digressions on the industry, theology, and the nature of obsession, and it is widely regarded as one of the great American novels.
THIS EDITION
The first Norton Critical Edition (1967) presents the Hayford–Parker text, which was built from a collation of the 1851 American edition (Moby-Dick; or, The Whale) and the 1851 English edition (The Whale). The volume pairs that text with a substantial apparatus: reviews and letters by Melville, analogues and sources, and criticism. A “Whaling and Whalecraft” section was prepared by John B. Putnam — the title page credits him with the national materials — and the book includes a glossary of nautical terms and a pictorial account of contemporary whaling engravings. The cover price on this copy is $2.45.
COVER ART / DESIGN
The front cover is white with a light blue border: “A NORTON CRITICAL EDITION” at the top, the title in large black serif type, and a central illustration of a whale at sea in muted yellow and dark green tones. The spine carries a teal block printed “NORTON CRITICAL EDITIONS” with a small ship or whale device. The title page lists both editors with their university affiliations and the Norton roundel logo.
WHY IT MATTERS
- The 1967 Hayford–Parker text became the standard scholarly text of Moby-Dick; later Norton Critical Editions (2nd, 3rd) are based on revisions of it.
- First Norton Critical Edition of the novel — an early example of the series that Norton has used for its flagship critical texts.
- A practical, affordable way to own the standard scholarly text with its full apparatus in a single volume.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What edition is this? The first Norton Critical Edition (1967, W. W. Norton & Company), edited by Harrison Hayford and Hershel Parker. This copy is a circa-1970 printing.
What condition is it in? Very Good-: solid binding with reading curl, a 1/2-inch closed split at the top of the front cover joint, and a chip to the spine head. Full report below.
Is it signed? No. A neat previous owner’s name is inscribed in red ink on the first page.
FOR COLLECTORS
An early-printing Norton Critical Edition with the original $2.45 cover price intact — a clean, complete copy of the 1967 Hayford–Parker text, the foundation for all later scholarly editions of the novel.
Book Details
- Author: Herman Melville
- Illustrator: John B. Putnam (Essays/Engravings)
- Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
- Binding: Paperback
- Edition Points: 1967 Norton Critical Edition, includes “Authoritative Text” and “Reviews and Letters.” Likely a circa 1970 printing.
Condition Report
- Overall Grade: Very Good- (VG-)
- Cover & Spine: Front cover has some reading curl, both covers have some edge wear. Spine shows the beginning of a little reading roll, but is solid. 1/2″ closed split at the joint of the front cover upper spine edge. Chip in the spine head edge.
- Dust Jacket: N/A
- Text Block & Pages: The paper is uniform in its off-white/cream appearance; it displays minimal age-toning typical for this era. A neat previous owner’s name is inscribed in red ink on the first page. Upper edge lightly tanned, outer edge a hint of thumbing.
- Binding: Tight and secure; binding solid, no loose, torn, or folded pages.
See accompanying images for full condition details.
Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.
HFB-SEO-v1: 2026-08-20
1 in stock
Additional information
| Weight | 16 oz |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 7 × 5 × 1 in |
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