A bestselling author of seagoing epics now celebrates an American classic. Philbrick offers a cabin master's tour of a spellbinding novel rich with adventure and history. He skillfully navigates Melville's world and illuminates the book's humor and unforgettable characters--finding the thread that binds Ishmael and Ahab to today's time and, indeed, to all times. A perfect match between author and subject, "Why Read Moby-Dick?" gives readers a renewed...

In this robust sequel to A Sailor of Austria, young Lieutenant Otto Prohaska of the Austro-Hungarian navy continues to narrate his adventures during the early years of this century, as he careens across Eastern Europe and parts of Asia, buffeted by lovely ladies, tyrannical lords and world events. Prohaska volunteers for flight training only to be shot down over a royal picnic, allowing him to spend time with both the Kaiser and Archduke Ferdinand,...