Rediscover Moby-Dick With This Beautifully Illustrated Limited-Edition Book

Book printer Waterbell is giving readers and art lovers alike a new reason to revisit Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick with these beautifully illustrated editions of the classic tale. Waterbell collaborated with artist Ben Howe to create these unique editions, which bring moody, fully painted artwork that's meant to capture the atmosphere of Melville's writing.

The different editions are available on Kickstarter, and there are a few ways to back this project. To start, $27 will get you the hardcover Collectable Edition, which features six full-page illustrations and illustrated endpapers. It’s all bound together in a jacket featuring a design by Howe.

For $166, you’ll receive the hardcover Limited Edition copy. Along with the same artwork found in the Collectable Edition, these books are hand-sewn, signed by the bookbinder, and numbered. For $3305, you’ll receive the original Burial at Sea painting featured in the book.

This isn’t Waterbell’s first time collaborating with artists to give the classics a fresh look. Other tales include Pride and Prejudice, Alice in Wonderland, and more. According to their website, only 1440 copies of their editions are created. The made-to-order books are meticulously crafted using a hammer to curve the spine, a needle and thread to bind the pages, and many other techniques.

Howe took an equally meticulous approach to create the artwork for Moby-Dick. He started by sculpting the subjects of his paintings out of clay, only to destroy the sculptures once the painting was complete.

With $1246 raised, the campaign still has a bit to go before reaching its $2645 goal, but you can help bring the project to life until March 18 by heading here.

If you can't quit the white whale, check out this special pop-up edition published around the time of Melville’s 200th birthday last year.

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