The volume, edited by Robert K. Elder, celebrates Herman Melville’s 200th birthday with a full-color edition of “Moby-Dick,” illustrated by the rediscovered art of Gilbert Wilson. “Moby-Dick” became Wilson’s lifetime obsession, producing more than 200 paintings and drawings based on the novel.

This book showcases never-before-published artwork, notes, and meditations on the novel—drawing from unprecedented access to Wilson’s estate.

Film director John Huston declared him “a brilliant artist and one of America’s foremost painters.”

Pearl S. Buck sponsored an exhibition of his work in New York.

Even First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote about his work in her newspaper column.

Yet, during his lifetime, Gilbert Brown Wilson (1907-1991) never got his due and lived in relative obscurity. Despite a critical splash in the 1930s, he sacrificed financial security for artistic freedom. An acolyte of Diego Rivera and an assistant to Rockwell Kent, Wilson became recognized for his gargantuan murals at Indiana State University and Antioch College, and for the controversy sparked by his “social realist” style.

PRAISE:

“A superb new-old edition of ‘Moby-Dick’ – if the imperishable book is like a great throbbing gnomic brain, here’s a set of deliriously psychedelic new CAT scans to entice you back into its mysteries.”
— Jonathan Lethem, author, “Motherless Brooklyn” and “The Feral Detective”

“Gilbert Wilson’s art, like the novel ‘Moby-Dick’ itself, is at once timeless and essentially modern. Both are revelatory reminders that the work of each creator remains vital and relevant to an understanding of our human condition.”
— Matt Kish, artist, “Moby-Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page”

“Robert K. Elder’s book is a treasure to behold, for he has rescued Gilbert Wilson from a most undeserved obscurity…Bravo!”
— Tony Fitzpatrick, artist, “The Secret Birds”The volume, edited by Robert K. Elder, celebrates Herman Melville’s 200th birthday with a full-color edition of “Moby-Dick,” illustrated by the rediscovered art of Gilbert Wilson. “Moby-Dick” became Wilson’s lifetime obsession, producing more than 200 paintings and drawings based on the novel. This book showcases never-before-published artwork, notes, and meditations on the novel—drawing from unprecedented access to Wilson’s estate. Film director John Huston declared him “a brilliant artist and one of America’s foremost painters.” Pearl S. Buck sponsored an exhibition of his work in New York. Even First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote about his work in her newspaper column. Yet, during his lifetime, Gilbert Brown Wilson (1907-1991) never got his due and lived in relative obscurity. Despite a critical splash in the 1930s, he sacrificed financial security for artistic freedom. An acolyte of Diego Rivera and an assistant to Rockwell Kent, Wilson became recognized for his gargantuan murals at Indiana State University and Antioch College, and for the controversy sparked by his “social realist” style. PRAISE: “A superb new-old edition of ‘Moby-Dick’ – if the imperishable book is like a great throbbing gnomic brain, here’s a set of deliriously psychedelic new CAT scans to entice you back into its mysteries.” — Jonathan Lethem, author, “Motherless Brooklyn” and “The Feral Detective” “Gilbert Wilson’s art, like the novel ‘Moby-Dick’ itself, is at once timeless and essentially modern. Both are revelatory reminders that the work of each creator remains vital and relevant to an understanding of our human condition.” — Matt Kish, artist, “Moby-Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page” “Robert K. Elder’s book is a treasure to behold, for he has rescued Gilbert Wilson from a most undeserved obscurity…Bravo!” — Tony Fitzpatrick, artist, “The Secret Birds”