Moby-Dick Lost Ishmael's Survival Epilogue

The first British edition of Moby-Dick, published in 1851 as The Whale, omitted the epilogue explaining that narrator Ishmael survived the destruction of the Pequod. The reason remains unknown, although scholars believe the printer probably lost it while rearranging other material. Some British reviewers consequently mocked the apparent absurdity of a story narrated by a man who had drowned with everyone else, while the American edition published a month later included the missing epilogue.

Previous Fact Next Fact