Estimate: (USD 500–800).

The book: This is the landmark 1930 First trade one volume edition of Moby Dick by Herman Melville, illustrated by Rockwell Kent, and published by Random House following the deluxe 1929 Lakeside Press edition. Revered for bringing Melville’s then-neglected masterpiece back to prominence, this edition combines literary and artistic brilliance. Kent’s dramatic black-and-white woodcuts redefined the visual language of Melville’s epic tale of obsession and the sea. This edition marked a major moment in American publishing, making Kent’s illustrations widely available for the first time.

The author: Herman Melville (1819–1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Moby Dick, initially a commercial failure upon its 1851 publication, was later recognized as one of the greatest novels in American literature. The book is a richly symbolic exploration of man, nature, and fate, told through the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab for the titular white whale.

The illustrator: Rockwell Kent (1882–1971) was a prominent American artist, printmaker, and illustrator known for his distinctive woodcut style and adventurous spirit. His illustrations for Moby Dick, first produced for the Lakeside Press edition of 1929, are considered among the most celebrated interpretations of any literary text. Kent’s stark and dynamic imagery brought new life and visual depth to Melville’s prose, and this 1930 Random House edition ensured his work reached a broader public.