In the heart of the sea

the epic true story that inspired Moby Dick

by

English language

Published Nov. 7, 2015 by William Collins.

ISBN:
978-0-00-812683-4
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OCLC Number:
898315548

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4 stars (3 reviews)

"When the whaleship Essex set sail from Nantucket in 1819, the unthinkable happened. A mere speck in the vast Pacific ocean - and powerless against the forces of nature - Essex was rammed and sunk by an enraged sperm whale, and her twenty crewmen were forced to take to the open sea in three small boats. Ninety days later only a handful of survivors were rescued - and a terrifying story of desperation, cannibalism and courage was revealed ... One of the greatest sea yarns ever spun, 'In the Heart of the Sea' is the true story of the extraordinary events that inspired Herman Melville's masterpiece 'Moby-Dick'."--Back cover.

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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rated it

4 stars
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rated it

5 stars

Subjects

  • Whaleboats
  • Essex (Whaleship)
  • Shipwreck survival
  • Shipwrecks
  • Survival

Places

  • South Pacific Ocean
  • Massachusetts
  • Nantucket Island