In the heart of the sea

The tragedy of the whaleship Essex.

by

302 pages

English language

Published Nov. 7, 2000 by Penguin Books.

ISBN:
978-0-14-100182-1
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OCLC Number:
608821765

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4 stars (3 reviews)

In 1819, the 238-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage to hunt whales. Fifteen months later, the Essex was rammed and sunk by an enraged sperm whale.

32 editions

reviewed In the heart of the sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

Review of 'In the heart of the sea' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The wreck of the whaleship Essex, stove in by a whale, is an established part of American lore and notably appropriated by Melville for Moby Dick. In the Heart of the Sea weaves together the narratives of the survivors to present their ordeal in a manner that is both clinical (with depictions of the processes of both whale rendering and human starvation) and unsparing in its presentations of the misjudgments of impetuous First Mate Owen Chase and the irresolute Captain Pollard. Beyond the tragedy of the Essex, this book captures in exacting detail life in the whaling community that was 19th century Natucket

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5 stars

Subjects

  • Essex (Whaleship)
  • Shipwrecks--Pacific Ocean

Places

  • Pacific Ocean