About this title: The epic true-life story of one of the most notorious maritime disasters of the 19th century which was the inspiration for Herman Melville's classic novel "Moby Dick". The author uses a hitherto unknown diary of one of the survivors discovered in an attic in Connecticut in spring 1998 to tell the tale. The sinking of the whaleship Essex by an enraged spermwhale in the Pacific in November 1820 set in motion one of the most dramatic sea stories of all time: the twenty sailors who survived the wreck took to three small boats (one of which was again attacked by a whale) and only eight of them ...
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Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books, New York
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780141001821ISBN:0141001828
Description: Good. Crease down front cover where cover had been bent back. General signs of wear on front and back covers; text itself in good shape, though. 302 p. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780141001821ISBN:0141001828
Description: Very Good. Slight cover wear with minor scuffing to edges. GoodwillnyBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service. You may return new items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Putnam
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780670891573ISBN:0670891576
Description: Good. No dust jacket. A moderate amount of wear on Cover and interior pages. (W2) Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 320 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780141001821ISBN:0141001828
Description: Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dustcover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "from the library of" labels. Return Policy Any defects, damages, or material differences with your item, must be reported to us within 7 days of receipt of the item or 30 days from date of shipment. The returned merchandise must be ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780141001821ISBN:0141001828
Description: Acceptable. A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (the dust cover may be missing). Pages can include considerable notes-in pen or highlighter-but the notes cannot obscure the text. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780141001821ISBN:0141001828
Description: Acceptable. 231-V Books rated "Acceptable" may have significant wear & tear; may have significant amounts of underlining, highlighting, or notes; may have moderate stains, creases, or tears; may have cracked spines or loose pages; may have the previous owner's name, stamp, sticker, or gift inscription; or may be library discards. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780141001821ISBN:0141001828
Description: Good. 155-Y This Copy States "Copyright 2000. " Books rated "Good" may have some notes, underlining, or highlighting. These books also may contain the previous owner's name, stamp, sticker, or gift inscription, or may be library discards. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
"A whale hits a ship and the crew is adrift at sea in lifeboats...does that sound familiar? According to the author, it's the event upon which the novel Moby Dick is based. Although in the real life event, the captain doesn't go hunting the whale as Ahab did.
Philbrick does a good job of analyzing how these men got into this situation and how men make the decisions necessary to stay alive. To me, the most interesting point Philbrick makes is that crew decides not to steer for Polynesia because they were afraid of cannibals yet the survivors ended up eating some of their crewmates.
Philbrick also uses this story to illustrate the beginning of the end of the whaling industry. By the time this shipwreck happens, whalers already have to go farther from home they ever before because they have hunted the whales until there were no more wahles closer to Nantucket. Although whaling survives for a number of years after this incident, the whales are ahrder to find, men have a harder time finding work whaling, and the profits are decreasing.
Not all men in Nantucket were Capt. Ahab but this book does give the reader good insight into the industry that built Nantucket and how men survive when they're up against the hardest choices."
"Picture the face of your favorite cousin. Now picture your aunt. Hold their images in your mind for a minute.
Philbrick's In The Heart of the Sea, winner of the National Book Award, tells the amazing story of the whaleship Essex. The Essex, commissioned out of the Quaker port of Nantucket, was to fill her hold with sperm whale oil in the Pacific. Whaling, while profitable, was a nasty and dangerous occupation with a single hunting expedition lasting up to three years by the Monroe presidency. For those familiar with Melville's Moby-Dick, much will sound familiar because it is loosely based on The Essex's captain, George Pollard.
The Essex was sunk by an angry, eighty-five foot whale in the Pacific, thousands of miles from the nearest land mass in 1820. The 20-man crew divided themselves into three small whaleboats where they drifted for weeks as the sun, the sea, along with a lack of water and food began to take its toll. As men began to die and desperation set-in, those still clinging to the hope of rescue resorted to cannibalism for survival. To the horror of his rescuers Captain Pollard would eventually be pulled from his whaleboat sucking the marrow out of crudely smashed human bones. Some of those bones belonged to his younger cousin whom he promised his aunt to watch over and protect. I'd imagine the Thanksgiving family dinner was a bit awkward after Pollard's return to Nantucket; Philbrick, unfortunately, does not theorize about which member carved the turkey.
In The Heart of The Sea is a well-written, readable, and complete narrative that details the rise and fall of Nantucket's whale oil industry, the hardships of life at sea, the decisions, hopefully, none reading will ever have to make, and the incredible and horrific story of the crew of the Essex.
Moby-Dick would be published in 1851.
Philbrick's next book, somewhat surprisingly, is about the Battle of Little Bighorn."
"Can you imagine someone living today who hasn't heard of the 20th century disaster of the Titanic? A century earlier there was also a sea-related disaster that gripped the imaginations of school children and adults alike -- and they probably would be amazed that we today have absolutely no memory of this -- or at best a hazy recognition. The disaster was of the Essex, a Nantucket whaling ship that was attacked by a whale in the middle of the Pacific. Melville was inspired to write Moby-Dick after ruminating on the real life story of the Essex. Melville stopped his fiction with the attack of the whale, while this book and the true story of the Essex emphasizes what happened AFTER the attack. Philbrick is able to make history readable. While I think the book is really well-done, I gave it ony an I LIKE IT three stars== though I suspect it deserves more stars. It is history after all! And non-fiction! I think in its category of history, it should be much more highly starred. The focus on the characters involved, particularly three young men, made it very accessible. A psych major might find the psychology parts illustrative."
"Wow. An incredible true story. I hung on every page waiting to see how this maritime tragedy ended up. Quite depressing at times. The whaling culture is a fascinating piece of our history. It is easy to see why Herman Melville was attracted to this story. It was a lot easier read than Moby Dick, from what I have heard."
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