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Cover of Moby-Dick Or, the Whale by Herman Melville

Book · Classics

Moby-Dick Or, the Whale

by Herman Melville

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start Moby-Dick Or, the Whale, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
917
Reading time
≈ 16 h 40 min
Checkpoints
26
Genre
Classic
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How long does it take to read Moby-Dick Or, the Whale?

At 917 pages, Moby-Dick Or, the Whale is a doorstopper. Expect about 16 hours 40 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.

At 30 minutes a day, that is about 34 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 13 reading days. For a book of this length (600 pages or more), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 6.4 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day34 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)13 days

Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 26 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 35
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 71
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 106
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 141
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 176
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 212
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 247
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 282
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 317
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 353
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 388
  12. Checkpoint 12, page 423
  13. Checkpoint 13, page 459
  14. Checkpoint 14, page 494
  15. Checkpoint 15, page 529
  16. Checkpoint 16, page 564
  17. Checkpoint 17, page 600
  18. Checkpoint 18, page 635
  19. Checkpoint 19, page 670
  20. Checkpoint 20, page 705
  21. Checkpoint 21, page 741
  22. Checkpoint 22, page 776
  23. Checkpoint 23, page 811
  24. Checkpoint 24, page 846
  25. Checkpoint 25, page 882
  26. Checkpoint 26, page 917

In Vread, Moby-Dick Or, the Whale is split into 26 checkpoints, one every 35 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.

The challenge: validate all 26 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.

Also available in French on Vread.

Example: the checkpoint 1 question

Checkpoint 1/26pp. 1–35

Moby-Dick Or, the Whale, Herman Melville

Which early Herman Melville novel follows a young man who journeys down the Hudson from his once-glorious family seat and cannot afford to pay his passage?

The answer is in the text: reply in the app.

Public-domain work. The answer, and the following questions, unlock in the app.

Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.

Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions

How many pages is Moby-Dick Or, the Whale?
The edition listed on Vread has 917 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read Moby-Dick Or, the Whale?
About 16 hours 40 minutes of reading, or 34 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on Moby-Dick Or, the Whale?
Yes: the Vread app has 26 reading questions on Moby-Dick Or, the Whale, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of Moby-Dick Or, the Whale?
Vread does not publish summaries: the app supports reading the book itself, part by part. Checkpoint questions cover what you have just read, which makes them a good way to check you did not miss anything.

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Read Moby-Dick Or, the Whale with Vread

Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.

Take the challenge

Written by Vread from its catalogue data (page count of the listed edition, checkpoints, ratings aggregated from 10 ratings). No summary or publisher text is reproduced. Reading times are estimates; see the method in the Vread Reading Barometer (in French).