Ishmael is the narrator of Herman Melville's classic novel, Moby Dick. A naive young sailor, Ishmael joins the crew of the whaling vessel, Pequod, captained by the maniacal Captain Ahab. Ahab is obsessed with finding and killing Moby Dick, an enormous white whale who ate his leg years earlier. Ahab's single-minded thirst for revenge dooms the crew and himself.
The first line of the book - "Call me Ishmael" - is one of the most famous opening lines in literature.
Ishmael is named after the son of Abraham in the Bible and, like his namesake, he represents the outcast.
Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs by 
Ishmael and the Hoops of Steel by 
Michael Gerard Bauer was born and lives in Brisbane Australia. In 2000 he resigned from his full-time position as an English/Economics teacher to pursue his dream of becoming a writer and is now a full-time author, writing books for children and young adults.
His first novel 'The Running Man' won many awards around the world, including the 'Older Reader's' section of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year in 2005.
Michael published his second novel in 2007, a ‘laugh out loud’ comedy entitled 'Don’t Call Me Ishmael!' , and followed it in 2008 with a sequel 'Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs' and the final book in the trilogy 'Ishmael and the Hoops of Steel' was released in July 2011.
Michael’s books continue to win lots of awards are now sold in around 20 countries including the USA and UK and translated into 8 languages.
