Melville took 18 months to finish his book. He based it off of things he had seen while sailing, and also books on whaling he had read. It contains a lot of information on whale hunting, whale oil, and life aboard a whaling ship. It also explores social status, ideas about God, and revenge.
m ɛ l v ɪ l WORD_BOUNDARY t ʊ k WORD_BOUNDARY eɪ t iː n WORD_BOUNDARY m ʌ n θ s WORD_BOUNDARY t ə WORD_BOUNDARY f ɪ n ɪ ʃ WORD_BOUNDARY h ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY b ʊ k WORD_BOUNDARY h iː WORD_BOUNDARY b eɪ s t WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ f WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY θ ɪ ŋ z WORD_BOUNDARY h iː WORD_BOUNDARY h æ d WORD_BOUNDARY s iː n WORD_BOUNDARY w aɪ l WORD_BOUNDARY s eɪ l ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY æ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ l s oʊ WORD_BOUNDARY b ʊ k s WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ n WORD_BOUNDARY w eɪ l ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY h iː WORD_BOUNDARY h æ d WORD_BOUNDARY ɹ ɛ d WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY k ə n t eɪ n z WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY l ɑ t WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n f ə ɹ m eɪ ʃ ə n WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ n WORD_BOUNDARY w eɪ l WORD_BOUNDARY h ʌ n t ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY w eɪ l WORD_BOUNDARY ɔɪ l WORD_BOUNDARY æ n d WORD_BOUNDARY l aɪ f WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ b ɔ ɹ d WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY w eɪ l ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY ʃ ɪ p WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ l s oʊ WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ k s p l ɔ ɹ z WORD_BOUNDARY s oʊ ʃ ə l WORD_BOUNDARY s t æ t ə s WORD_BOUNDARY aɪ d iə z WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ b aʊ t WORD_BOUNDARY ɡ ɑ d WORD_BOUNDARY æ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ɹ ɪ v ɛ n d̠ʒ WORD_BOUNDARY