The sinking of the Nantucket whale ship Essex by an enraged sperm whale far out in the Pacific in 1820 was the inspiration for Melvilles classic novel. In this compelling narrative, the maritime historian Nathaniel Philbrick uses first hand accounts, including the diary of one of the survivors, to describe the terrifying experiences of the 20 crewmen of the Essex when they took to the open sea in three small boats.

In the Heart of the Sea : The Epic True Story That Inspired 'Moby Dick

History

Nathaniel Philbrick

Military

Penguin??Books

In the Heart of the Sea: The Epic True Story That Inspired 'Moby Dick'

Biographies & Memoirs

HARPER/COLLINS

Sea of Glory : The Epic South Seas Expedition 1838-42

The dramatic story of the largest voyage of discovery in the history of the world -- and the last such all-sail convoy. Headed by the controversial Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, and consisting of six sailing vessels and 346 men, the 'Ex. Ex. ' (the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838--42) represented the largest voyage of discovery in the history of the world. Four years later, after losing two ships and seventy-one men, the expedition had logged 87,000 miles, surveyed 280 Pacific islands, and created 180 charts -- some of which were still being used as late as World War II. The Expedition's scientists collected 4000 zoological specimens, including 2000 new species, and thousands of ethnographic artifacts that would become the basis of the Smithsonian Institution. The Expedition also mapped 800 miles of coastline in the Pacific Northwest, providing the federal government with the information it needed to stake its claim on the Oregon Territory. The Expedition's crowning achievement was the discovery of a new southern continent that Wilkes would name Antarctica. The Expedition ended in a dramatic series of court martials, with Wilkes and his crew levelling accusations of misconduct against each other.

World

The dramatic story of the largest voyage of discovery in the history of the world, this is a astounding tale of courage, arrogance and adventure on the high seas. Headed by the controversial Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, and consisting of six sailing vessels and 346 men, the 'Ex. Ex.' (the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838--42) represented the largest voyage of discovery in the history of the world. Four years later, after losing two ships and seventy-one men, the expedition had logged 87,000 miles, surveyed 280 Pacific islands, and created 180 charts -- some of which were still being used as late as World War II. The Expedition's scientists collected 4,000 zoological specimens, including 2,000 new species, and thousands of ethnographic artifacts that would become the basis of the Smithsonian Institution. The Expedition also mapped 800 miles of coastline in the Pacific Northwest, providing the federal government with the information it needed to stake its claim on the Oregon Territory. The Expedition's crowning achievement was the discovery of a new southern continent that Wilkes would name Antarctica. The Expedition ended in a dramatic series of court martials, with Wilkes and his crew levelling accusations of misconduct against each other. Nathaniel Philbrick's skilful retelling of this forgotten, yet astounding, episode in the history of sea faring is a fantastic adventure and a masterful work of historical reconstruction.

Travel

Harperperennial

Mayflower: A Voyage to War

Americas

Penguin Group

Part of the Stranger Than series of books, this tells the true story of the whaleship Essex, which insopired Moby Dick.

Xstranger Than in the Heart of

Harper Collins Promotion

In the Heart of the Sea: The Epic True Story That Inspired `Moby-Dick'

HarperCollins, Publishers

Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Big Horn

Vintage Books

A New York Times Bestseller Winner of the George Washington Prize A surprising account of the middle years of the American Revolution and the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold, from the New York Times bestselling author of In The Heart of the Sea, Mayflower, and In the Hurricane's Eye. "May be one of the greatest what-if books of the age--a volume that turns one of America's best-known narratives on its head."--Boston Globe "Clear and insightful, Valiant Ambition] consolidates Philbrick's reputation as one of America's foremost practitioners of narrative nonfiction."--Wall Street Journal In the second book of his acclaimed American Revolution series, Nathaniel Philbrick turns to the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. In September 1776, the vulnerable Continental army under an unsure George Washington evacuated New York after a devastating defeat by the British army. Three weeks later, one of his favorite generals, Benedict Arnold, miraculously succeeded in postponing the British naval advance down Lake Champlain that might have lost the war. As this book ends, four years later Washington has vanquished his demons, and Arnold has fled to the enemy. America was forced at last to realize that the real threat to its liberties might not come from without but from withinComplex, controversial, and dramatic, Valiant Ambition is a portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation.

Valiant Ambition

Leaders & Notable People

BOOKS ON TAPE]

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex; Readers Guide:

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Books by Nathaniel Philbrick