Nathaniel Philbrick
Paperback | Pages: 302 pages Rating: 4.16 | 79676 Users | 5639 Reviews
Present Books As In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
| Original Title: | In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex |
| ISBN: | 0141001828 (ISBN13: 9780141001821) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | George Pollard, Thomas Nickerson, Owen Chase, Benjamin Lawrence, Matthew Joy, Thomas Chappel, Owen Coffin, Barzillai Ray |
| Setting: | Nantucket, Massachusetts(United States) South Pacific |
| Literary Awards: | National Book Award for Nonfiction (2000), Ambassador Book Award for American Studies (2001), Massachusetts Book Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2001), ALA Alex Award (2001) |
Narrative Supposing Books In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
"With its huge, scarred head halfway out of the water and its tail beating the ocean into a white-water wake more than forty feet across, the whale approached the ship at twice its original speed - at least six knots. With a tremendous cracking and splintering of oak, it struck the ship just beneath the anchor secured at the cat-head on the port bow..."In the Heart of the Sea brings to new life the incredible story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex - an event as mythic in its own century as the Titanic disaster in ours, and the inspiration for the climax of Moby-Dick. In a harrowing page-turner, Nathaniel Philbrick restores this epic story to its rightful place in American history.
In 1820, the 240-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage for whales. Fifteen months later, in the farthest reaches of the South Pacific, it was repeatedly rammed and sunk by an eighty-ton bull sperm whale. Its twenty-man crew, fearing cannibals on the islands to the west, made for the 3,000-mile-distant coast of South America in three tiny boats. During ninety days at sea under horrendous conditions, the survivors clung to life as one by one, they succumbed to hunger, thirst, disease, and fear.
Philbrick interweaves his account of this extraordinary ordeal of ordinary men with a wealth of whale lore and with a brilliantly detailed portrait of the lost, unique community of Nantucket whalers. Impeccably researched and beautifully told, the book delivers the ultimate portrait of man against nature, drawing on a remarkable range of archival and modern sources, including a long-lost account by the ship's cabin boy.
At once a literary companion and a page-turner that speaks to the same issues of class, race, and man's relationship to nature that permeate the works of Melville, In the Heart of the Sea will endure as a vital work of American history.
Identify Epithetical Books In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
| Title | : | In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex |
| Author | : | Nathaniel Philbrick |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 302 pages |
| Published | : | May 1st 2001 by Penguin Books (first published May 8th 2000) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. History. Adventure. Historical. Survival. North American Hi.... American History. Audiobook |
Rating Epithetical Books In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
Ratings: 4.16 From 79676 Users | 5639 ReviewsComment On Epithetical Books In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
The mesmerizing story of the 19th century Nantucket whaleboat Essex, sunk after being rammed by a giant sperm whale, its crew afloat in whaleboats in the Pacific for weeks as their limited provisions eventually expire. Philbrick's well-researched account not only synchronizes multiple witness recollections, but provides historical context with regards to the Nantucket community and the 19th century American whaling industry, all in 238 unputdownable pages. And this real-life story was also theIMPORTANT UPDATE: The great reader in the sky has answered my prayers and made a movie based on this story - starring Chris Hemsworth - so I already count one ironclad reason to watch this. The trailer states that the Essex goes beyond the known world, which no it didn't, but I'm also fairly sure that Owen Chase's jaw wasn't nearly as square as Hemsworth's, so I'm willing to allow poetic license. Also, I may root for the whale. The first trailer is here.----This was SO gruesome and weirdly
I have never, ever, in my LIFE, met a nonfiction book I was unable to put down before. This may be because I am stupid, but I like to think it's because I'm interested in the details. Most nonfiction I've encountered is either written by:a.) Someone who experienced something interesting, but who can't write about it in an interesting way, orb.) Someone who perhaps usually writes about things in an interesting way, but who wasn't able to experience the critical subject firsthand.Philbrick bridges
This book was a fantastic tale, the facts of which were an inspiration to Melville who met the surviving captain years later. The ship Essex headed to whaling groups in - as Phibrick excellently describes as the most desolate spot on Earth - a thousand miles off the coast of Chile in the Pacific. Beset by bad luck, the boat is stuck for weeks in the doldrums with no wind, struck by an unhappy (but not white) whale which founders the boat, and then struggle (mostly unsuccessfully) to survive with
A gruesome tale of death and survival at sea told with suspense and drama to keep us aboard. Philbrick skillfully delivers the graphic details without overwhelming the reader. As in Mayflower he embellishes the story with fascinating insights and background. He profiles Nantuckets boom and bust history. In the early 19th century Nantucket was a blackened and smelly place despoiled by the whale oil industry. This was the height of its whaling days when Nantucket whale ships were crisscrossing the
Best piece of non-fiction Ive read in years I know its a cliché but you cant make this stuff up! In 1819, a whaling ship is rammed by a sperm whale, not once but twice and the surviving crew drifts for 90 days in three tiny boats, Captain Blighs 48 day ordeal pales in comparison. They eventually turned to cannibalism which call me weird I didnt have a problem with. A card carrying organ donor I figure Im dead anyway - eat me. When it came down to drawing lots though, that pushed my buttons.
Fantastic book! Extremely well-researched, written in an easy-to-understand style, just superb in every way. You will feel like you've lived the lives of these men after reading this book. I read passages aloud to my hubby ... which is always a sign that the book is fabulous.No disrespect to Herman Melville, but this true story of the Essex is MUCH better than Moby Dick. MUCH!5 Stars = Great book! The story really came alive, and leapt off the page.
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