- description
- # BOOK I. (Folio), CHAPTER VI. (Sulphur Bottom).
## Overview
This is Chapter VI, titled "Sulphur Bottom," from Book I (Folio) of the novel [Moby-Dick; or, The Whale](arke:01KG8AJ9GN1K052QJEZVGKXJ0T). It spans lines 5855 to 5876 of the source text.
## Context
This chapter is part of [Moby-Dick; or, The Whale](arke:01KG8AJ9GN1K052QJEZVGKXJ0T), a novel by Herman Melville, which is itself part of the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. The text was extracted from the file [moby_dick.txt](arke:01KG89J198KE6FY8WPVJQQRCZ6). It follows [BOOK I. (Folio), CHAPTER V. (Razor Back).](arke:01KG8AK7FTA9Z0X8K6AXRED3MY) and precedes [BOOK II. (Octavo), CHAPTER I. (Grampus).](arke:01KG8AK7FTWVDWHPJ3WKS2JPHM).
## Contents
Chapter VI, "Sulphur Bottom," describes a rarely seen whale with a "brimstone belly," known for its deep dives and immense strength. The narrator admits to having seen it only in remote southern seas and from a distance, noting that it is never chased due to its ability to "run away with rope-walks of line." The chapter concludes Book I (Folio) and introduces Book II (Octavo), which categorizes whales of "middling magnitude" such as the Grampus, Black Fish, Narwhale, Thrasher, and Killer. A footnote explains the nomenclature of the "Octavo" book in relation to the "Folio" and "Quarto" classifications based on the proportionate likeness of the whales to bookbinder's volumes.
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- 2026-01-30T20:50:55.946Z
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- description_title
- BOOK I. (Folio), CHAPTER VI. (Sulphur Bottom).
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- 5876
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- 2026-01-30T20:47:54.527Z
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- structure-extraction-lambda
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- 5855
- text
- BOOK I. (_Folio_), CHAPTER VI. (_Sulphur Bottom_).—Another retiring
gentleman, with a brimstone belly, doubtless got by scraping along the
Tartarian tiles in some of his profounder divings. He is seldom seen;
at least I have never seen him except in the remoter southern seas, and
then always at too great a distance to study his countenance. He is
never chased; he would run away with rope-walks of line. Prodigies are
told of him. Adieu, Sulphur Bottom! I can say nothing more that is true
of ye, nor can the oldest Nantucketer.
Thus ends BOOK I. (_Folio_), and now begins BOOK II. (_Octavo_).
OCTAVOES.*—These embrace the whales of middling magnitude, among which
present may be numbered:—I., the _Grampus_; II., the _Black Fish_;
III., the _Narwhale_; IV., the _Thrasher_; V., the _Killer_.
*Why this book of whales is not denominated the Quarto is very plain.
Because, while the whales of this order, though smaller than those of
the former order, nevertheless retain a proportionate likeness to them
in figure, yet the bookbinder’s Quarto volume in its dimensioned form
does not preserve the shape of the Folio volume, but the Octavo volume
does.
- title
- BOOK I. (Folio), CHAPTER VI. (Sulphur Bottom).