Synopses & Reviews
In 1819, the American whaler
Essex was sailing deep into the great equatorial hunting grounds of the Pacific when it was destroyed by a maddened sperm whale. By all reports, the 85-foot whale deliberately rammed the ship twice and sank it. The incident, which occurred in the same year that Herman Melville was born, became a primary source of inspiration for
Moby-Dick. Indeed, much of the detail and color in the final chapter of Melville's work is drawn directly from these three eyewitness accounts.
The harrowing events are described in detail by the first mate, Owen Chase, and corroborated in all essentials by both the captain, George Pollard, and the second mate, Thomas Chappel. Although the ship sank quickly after the attack, the horror lingered for months, and ended in cannibalism as the survivors drifted helplessly in small boats across thousands of miles of open sea.
These three narratives are reprinted from a rare limited edition. An introduction traces the incorporation of the real-life incident into Melville's fictional re-creation, and twelve beautiful wood engravings add a further note of drama.
Synopsis
Three eyewitness accounts of a lethal attack by a sperm whale against a whaling ship in the Pacific in 1819, the incident that inspired Melville's
Moby-Dick. Illustrated with 12 wood engravings.
Synopsis
Three enthralling eyewitness accounts tell of the lethal attack by a sperm whale against an American whaling ship in 1819, the incident that served as an inspiration for Melville's masterpiece, Moby-Dick. Reprinted from a fine-press edition, this volume features an informative Introduction and 12 wood engravings by Robert Gibbings. This gripping work is also the basis for the upcoming Ron Howard film, In the Heart of the Sea.
About the Author
Owen Chase (1797-1869) was First Mate of the whaling ship Essex, which was struck and sunk by a sperm whale on November 20, 1820.