1931 Rare Book in Dust Jacket - Moby Dick Illustrated by Anton Otto Fischer
Author: Herman Melville. Illustrated by Anton Otto Fischer.
Title: Moby Dick; or, The White Whale.
Publisher: Chicago, Philadelphia & Toronto, The John C. Winston Company, 1931. First thus.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 9 x 6 inches.
Pages: xvii-414 pages.
Binding: Very good original publisher’s black cloth binding, gilt lettering to spine, illustrated front panel mounted to upper board (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) in a very good original dust jacket (small tears and chips - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. Upper edge orange.
Content: Near fine content (bright, tight and clean). Overall, a remarkably attractive example.
Illustrations: Fully complete with all colour plates and black-and-white illustrations by Anton Otto Fischer, including the illustrated endpapers and dramatic full-page colour plates throughout.
The book: This handsome illustrated edition of Moby Dick was produced at a moment when Herman Melville’s masterpiece was being rediscovered and firmly established as one of the foundational works of American literature. Issued by The John C. Winston Company in 1931, the volume forms part of The Children’s Bookshelf series, yet retains the full narrative power and philosophical depth of Melville’s original text.
The edition is especially notable for its visual program. Anton Otto Fischer’s illustrations bring the novel’s maritime drama vividly to life—towering seas, straining whaleboats, and the ominous presence of the Pequod dominate the imagery. Fischer, one of the leading marine illustrators of the early 20th century, was uniquely suited to interpret Melville’s world, and his artwork here captures both the grandeur and the violence of the hunt.
The author: Herman Melville (1819–1891) is now recognized as one of the greatest figures in American literature. Though Moby Dick was met with mixed reception upon its original publication in 1851, it has since come to be regarded as a monumental exploration of obsession, fate, nature, and the limits of human knowledge. Melville’s fusion of adventure narrative, philosophical inquiry, and poetic language places Moby Dick among the defining novels of the Western canon.
The illustrator: Anton Otto Fischer (1882–1962) was an acclaimed American illustrator best known for his marine subjects. A former sailor, Fischer brought firsthand experience of the sea to his work, lending authenticity and dramatic force to his illustrations. His visual interpretations of Moby Dick are widely admired for their dynamic composition and atmospheric power, and this edition stands as one of his most compelling contributions to illustrated literature.