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| |  | Computers & Internet | Home » » » In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex | | | | | | | Description: | | The ordeal of the whaleship Essex was an event as mythic in the nineteenth century as the sinking of the Titanic was in the twentieth. In 1819, the Essex left Nantucket for the South Pacific with twenty crew members aboard. In the middle of the South Pacific the ship was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale. The crew drifted for more than ninety days in three tiny whaleboats, succumbing to weather, hunger, disease, and ultimately turning to drastic measures in the fight for survival. Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents-including a long-lost account written by the ship's cabin boy-and penetrating details about whaling and the Nantucket community to reveal the chilling events surrounding this epic maritime disaster. An intense and mesmerizing read, In the Heart of the Sea is a monumental work of history forever placing the Essex tragedy in the American historical canon. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Nathaniel Philbrick | | Hardcover:
| 320 pages | | Publisher:
| Viking Adult | | Publication Date:
| May 08, 2000 | | Package Length:
| 9.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.0 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.2 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.3 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 300 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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 Interesting Nantucket HistoryNov 02, 2009
Having read the Mayflower by Mr. Philbrick some time ago and knowing how he was motivated to write that book, it interested me as to his motivation for this book. I was not dissapointed as the book is through in facts and presentation. As you already know, his writing is very vivid and complete not leaving the reader constantly guessing or speculating as to what transpired. Also it was a selection for our Sailing Book Club which motivated us to read it. Glad we did.
 Guess who's coming..............Oct 07, 2009
Nathanial Philbrick tells a gripping story of men abandoning their wrecked ship in the middle of the vast pacific ocean. He sets the stage by informing the reader of the origins of the Nantucket whaling industry and its quest for whale oil, a product used in lighting lanterns which extended the day until displaced by Edison's electric light bulb. You'll learn a lot about the social makeup of 19th century whaling communities and the ships that supported their economies. You'll learn about navigation techniques and you'll also learn about what went into provisioning such surprisingly large ocean going craft. You'll learn what desparate men due when faced with starvation and death at sea in a small boat.
It's a nicely paced tome which keeps your interest, all within the crux of a tale founded in the elements of survival as lived by the sailors on the whaleship Essex. Theirs is a true quest for survival, the kind that is real and for keeps. It's a page turner, don't miss it.
NannyOct 04, 2009
My husband couldn't put this book down once he started reading. Based on fact and an inspiration for Melville's "Moby Dick", the harrowing life of the whaling ships and crews of yore is vividly portrayed, especially the voyage of the "Essex" where desperation meant resorting to cannibalism.
Yep...Sep 28, 2009
Yep...this book has already been reviewed by multitudes of people, so I will only say that this is a very well-written book that you will probably enjoy reading. It is one of those books that you just want to keep reading until you are done and then you are sad you are done reading.
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Still haven't received itAug 19, 2009
Ordered this book on July 18th and it's been exactly one month but it hasn't been delivered. Hoping it didn't get lost in the mail.
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