The great American novel Moby Dick swam into US publication November 14, 1851, bedevilling future students for 173 years. 

Herman Melville’s tale of a sailor obsessed with hunting down a great white whale is a complex allegory of faith, race and the nature of humanity. It wasn’t until the  20th century that the novel gained traction among readers and academics. Moby Dick sold only (about) 3,000 copies during Melville’s life. Despite it’s lack of success, it is now considered among the greatest American novels, generally listed in the top 25. 

Moby Dick, written by Herman Melville, is a novel that has been widely recognized as a masterpiece of American literature. The story is about the journey of a whaling ship called the Pequod, captained by Ahab, who is obsessed with hunting down a giant white sperm whale named Moby Dick. However, the novel is not just a simple tale of a man’s hunt for a whale. It is a complex work of literature that explores themes of obsession, revenge, fate, and the human condition.
Moby Dick (Allegory Explained) – Allegory Explained

In 2019, the Isle of Man issued 6 stamps exploring the main characters from the novel. For the bicentennial of Melville’s birth, Manx Post tapped the talents of local illustrator and artist Juan Moore for each portrait and  EJC Design designed the stamps. Moore works in both trained in both traditional media and computer animation.  

Juan was born and raised on the Isle of Man and studied illustration and 3D computer animation at Falmouth College of Arts. He works as an illustrator and fine artist across many areas including publishing, advertising and editorial and his work has appeared regularly in the Guardian newspaper for many years. Recent forays into prop making for TV and producing illustrations for board games have coincided with exhibiting his paintings and digital collages worldwide in addition to the production of limited edition small press books. Juan was a digital colourist on the Oscar-nominated animated film Chico & Rita and he has written and directed two animated shorts, one of which won best animation at the IOM Film Festival. He also lectures illustration and digital art at University College Isle of Man. 
ISLE OF MAN POST OFFICE CELEBRATES HERMAN MELLVILLE’S 200TH BIRTHDAY WITH MOBY-DICK STAMPS – Isle of Man Post Office

To date, Moby Dick is Moore’s sole stamp design. 

Herman Melville Bicentennial (2019) : Moby Dick Characters
Captain Ahab & Moby Dick 
Ishmael
Chief mate Starbuck
The Manxman from the Isle of Man
Queequeg
Stubb

The novel took its time to be considered a classic. It received a decidedly mixed response from critics and was far from being a bestseller. After Melville’s death in 1891, several of his novels were reprinted and caught the attention of the New York literary scene – slowly, the acclaim for Moby-Dick grew and by the 1920s US critics and readers had started to embrace it. The novel’s reputation was cemented over the next few decades.
ISLE OF MAN POST OFFICE CELEBRATES HERMAN MELLVILLE’S 200TH BIRTHDAY WITH MOBY-DICK STAMPS – Isle of Man Post Office

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