One of the most famous novels ever written, it is the story - told by Ishmael - of Captain Ahab and his quest to avenge himself upon the whale, Moby Dick, that cost him his leg.

It is exceptionally detailed and gives an exhausting account of life aboard a 19th century whaler, but be warned that it stretches on for some five hundred pages (and with a small typeface, too) - that, for me, was what sucked much of the drive out of the narrative.