This week, 161 years ago, on an icy day in much of the Northeast, Harper & Brothers released the American edition of Moby-Dick. Although published long ago, Moby-Dick breaches ubiquitous at this moment. Log into your computer and go to Moby Dick Big Read to find daily a project that features celebrities such as Tilda Swinton and, eventually we are told, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, reading a chapter aloud. Don’t miss the actor Simon Callow reciting Father Mapple’s sermon about faith.

It has just been reported that Lynne Ramsay, who made the film We Need to Talk About Kevin, will bring the story of Moby, Ahab, Ishmael, and company to film, with them somehow situated in outer space. Another filmmaker of note, M. Night Shyamalan, plans a television series about the book. Jake Heggie’s opera version of the story will have eight performances beginning this month in San…

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