Yesterday was the 194th anniversary of Herman Melville’s birth, and to mark the occasion the Atlantic offered some excerpts from its archives–including two from W. Somerset Maugham–on what makes Moby-Dick great.

The New York Daily News has some suggestions on how to celebrate Melville’s birthday, including an ode to Moby-Dick from experimental musician Laurie Anderson.

Here’s a collection of links to free e-versions of some of Melville’s works.

And what homage to Melville would be complete without a cut from Mastodon’s Moby-Dick-inspired album Leviathan?