It Came From the Stacks: Moby Dick
by Melanie J. Meyers, M.S., Senior Reference Services Librarian, Special Collections, Center for Jewish History

One of the strengths of the YIVO library collection is the amazing wealth of works translated into various languages, Yiddish or Hebrew in particular.

This version of Herman Melville’s classic work Moby Dick (Or, Mobi Diḳ, if you prefer), was printed in Tel Aviv, circa 1951, by the M. Newman Publishing House. It appears to mirror the version published in English in 1930 by Random House in New York City, and contains the same Rockwell Kent illustrations. Kent was very interested in maritime lore and whaling and did a great deal of research before embarking on the original project.

The illustration depicted is titled Whaleboat and Crew Tossed into the Sea and appears toward the end of the novel. The dual title pages, in English and Hebrew, are also shown here. And, it really does start the same way as the English version… “Call me Ishmael.”

Moby Dick was first published in America on November 14, 1851. Today is its anniversary.

Thanks to Zachary Loeb, Patron Services Librarian, for help with the Hebrew translation.