Ahab's apostles

Reeled in by the writing in 'Moby-Dick,' devoted fans give a whale of a reading

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff | January 5, 2007

NEW BEDFORD -- Call them Melville diehards.

They are the ragtag group of " Moby-Dick " enthusiasts who gather each year in the shadow of a whale's skeleton to read for at least 24 hours about the elusive prey of Captain Ahab. The experience, they say, is almost spiritual.

They are young graduate students and aging retirees, descendants of whalers -- some are even descendants of the author -- or they have merely fallen in love with a text that has been called one of the most dense and quixotic of American literature.

Full article here, matey:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/05/ahabs_apostles/