Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Whale

Moby Dick or the whale is dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne, although he did not apparently like the work. Melville must have been aware there was some controversy because after he'd written it, he said, I've written a novel black as sin and yet I feel as pure and spotless as a lamb. Why in the world would the history begin with this collection of miscellaneous on whales?