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I learned more than I ever needed to know about whaling when I decided to read an unabridged version of Moby Dick. The book goes: Plot -> 100 page guide on hunt

• Graziano_M 5y ago
  Along with a section that argues that whales are fish and not mammals.
  • NobodyNada 5y ago
    Yes, some of the scientific knowledge is outdated; we know a lot more about whales than we did in the 1850’s. But IMO that makes it an even more fascinating read, because we get to learn how people saw and understood the world back then, and compare-and-contrast it with how we understand things now. And Melville interjects a lot of his own opinions and witty arguments, making clear not only what he believes about whales but also why. So yes, we no longer define “whale” as “a spouting fish with a horizontal tail”, and if you’re studying the taxonomy of whales maybe don’t use Moby-Dick as a textbook. But if you want to learn about 19th-century whaling, it contains a lot of highly accurate, firsthand experience. And it’s a lot of fun to compare Melville’s lists and descriptions of whale species with those on Wikipedia to see just how much our understanding has changed.
    • Graziano_M 5y ago
      Oh, yeah, I just found that part hilarious since it was apparently written at a time when that was still being debated. The book was excellent, and it was cool to learn so much about it.