The Massachusetts state legislature has voted to make Herman Melville‘s Moby Dick, as opposed to Moby-Dick, the official state novel, according to this report from the Lynn, Massachusetts Daily Item, which also notes that librarians are so estactic they are unable to shush themselves. Questions: 1. What other state has an official state novel? 2. What’s with the missing hyphen? Melville nerds can defend either version. Can you?

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.