Herman Melville’s most wildly imaginative novel "Moby Dick" depicts an unholy war between a madman and a creature as vast, dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. The richness and variety of incident, originality of conception, and splendid of description surpasses any of its contemporary productions. At the time of the novel’s publication, the work was unappreciated until early 1900, when it gained attention and was listed as one of greatest books ever written.