The first London edition of Moby-Dick was published in three volumes.
Richard Bentley issued the British edition on October 18, 1851, under the title The Whale. It was a conventional Victorian three-volume publication, with separate volumes totaling 927 pages. Only 500 copies were printed initially, reflecting the publisher’s caution about Melville’s earlier sales.
This edition is easy to confuse with the first American edition. Harper & Brothers published Moby-Dick; or, The Whale in New York on November 14, 1851, as a single volume of 635 pages. The American version also restored material altered or omitted in Britain, including the epilogue explaining Ishmael’s survival.
The London edition also differed in title, punctuation, wording, and arrangement. British publisher Richard Bentley’s edition was censored in places, while Melville made additional revisions during production. The novel’s later reputation as a classic did not match its early commercial performance: it was largely out of print near the end of Melville’s life.