Moby Dick is a Herman Melville novel about an enraged, obsessed narwhal (a type of whale) called "Moby Dick" seeking revenge against the man who shamed him (Ahab) and sank all ships in his way. The name is, of course, familiar to anyone who had to undergo a course in literature. The reality is that the book is probably more widely read by people who have never had any introduction to literature than by those who have. Part of Moby-Dick's fame is based on the subject matter - whaling - but it's also because so many writers are awe-struck by the sheer bigness of Herman Melville's achievement with this novel.