The Moby-Dick reference book you didn’t know you needed.
gaz•et•teer n. A list of toponyms arranged in alphabetic or other sequential order, with an indication of their location and preferably including variant names, type of topographic feature, and other defining or descriptive information.
The 1,600 placenames in the Gazetteer refer to the 455 unique places on Earth and in the heavens that Melville used to conjure images, similes, metaphors, moods, and symbols in Moby-Dick.
The Gazetteer:
collects placenames in a single reference and lists them in two ways, alphabetically and by Category and Type, to enable the reader to quickly find any or all occurrences of a placename and determine how often and in which chapters Melville used it
encodes each placename with a Category and Type descriptor which allow the reader to find all occurrences of placenames that refer to rivers, cities, mountain ranges, constellations, or any of the other 93 different types of places Melville named
contains maps of the locations of placenames by their Category: Celestial, Cultural, Geographic, Political, Populated Place, or Water
summarizes and counts occurrences by placename, place, Category, and Type
pricing: hardcover with linen dust jacket: $29.95; softcover: $19.95
Placename Entries Page
Format of Placename Entries
Map of Landform Locations
Key to Map of Landform Locations
Table of Contents (B)
Sample World Map (Cultural Features)
Sample Inset Map (Cultural Features)
Appendix A: Occurrences by Placename
Blue Boards with Embossed Gold Title/Author
About the author:
The last time I read Moby-Dick I wanted to refer to a gazetteer. I searched long and hard but couldn’t find one, so I made my own.
I’m a retired geographer living in the Sandhills of North Carolina. In my past life I studied geography at Dartmouth College and liberal arts at Duke University. I spent 30+ years applying geographic principles and analysis techniques in science and industry settings.