Ahab's Arithmetic: the Mathematics of Moby-Dick

Posted3 months agoActive3 months ago

bryanrasmussen

48 points

8 comments

scholarship.claremont.eduResearchstory

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MathematicsLiterary AnalysisMoby-Dick

Key topics

Mathematics

Literary Analysis

Moby-Dick

The paper 'Ahab's Arithmetic: The Mathematics of Moby-Dick' explores the mathematical themes and structures in Herman Melville's novel, sparking discussion on the intersection of literature and mathematics.

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01Story posted
Oct 6, 2025 at 6:38 AM EDT
3 months ago
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3 months ago
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Discussion (8 comments)

Showing 8 comments

esalman

3 months ago

2 replies

I recently bought a kids classic version of the book for my son. Then I realized I never read the original, only an abridged translation decades ago. Now I must find and read the original for myself.

jonah-archive

3 months ago

1 reply

Do you happen to recall which version? I've picked up a couple kid's books/playsets but mine is ready for a chapter-book type version soon. FWIW my favorite reading copy is the UC Press version based on the incredible Arion version (https://www.ucpress.edu/books/moby-dick-or-the-whale/paper) but any edition based on the Northwestern-Newberry text is solid.

esalman

3 months ago

1 reply

Sure, the kids classic version that I got is edited by Margaret Novak and published by Applesauce Press. It is actually chapter based which is nice, and it also has kid-friendly illustrations.

jonah-archive

3 months ago

Lovely, thank you! Looking forward to checking it out.

heckennews

3 months ago

You can find the book on Gutenberg. I just read it recently (their kindle version) and feel something with better annotations might have been better for a first read, since the writing is somewhat archaic

kencausey

3 months ago

(PDF)

natmaka

3 months ago

The book by Laplace is titled «Traité de mécanique céleste» (not "Méchanique Céleste").

mannykannot

3 months ago

The paperback edition I read in my 20s had an appendix containing several reviews of the novel, including that by D.H.Lawrence, briefly quoted here. Well worth reading in its own right, IMHO.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60547/60547-h/60547-h.htm

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