In the Heart of the Sea
The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (national Book Award Winner)
Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · May 1, 2001
From the author of Mayflower, Valiant Ambition, and In the Hurricane's Eye--the riveting bestseller tells the story of the true events that inspired Melville's Moby-Dick.
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- Who it’s for
- A serious sea story with catastrophe, history, and a hard look at endurance.
- Themes
- survival, maritime history, American literature
- Pacing
- Steady
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Start with this bookAbout this book
From the author of Mayflower, Valiant Ambition, and In the Hurricane's Eye--the riveting bestseller tells the story of the true events that inspired Melville's Moby-Dick. Winner of the National Book Award, Nathaniel Philbrick's book is a fantastic saga of survival and adventure, steeped in the lore of whaling, with deep resonance in American literature and history.
Continue reading
In 1820, the whaleship Essex was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale, leaving the desperate crew to drift for more than ninety days in three tiny boats. Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents and vivid details about the Nantucket whaling tradition to reveal the chilling facts of this infamous maritime disaster. In the Heart of the Sea, recently adapted into a major feature film starring Chris Hemsworth, is a book for the ages.
Salt and Ruin
A serious sea story with catastrophe, history, and a hard look at endurance.
Come here for
- maritime disaster, historically grounded
- New England seafaring, clipped and unsentimental
Expect
- National Book Award winner
- sustained narrative read
Where it sits
| Maritime History & Piracy | 83% |
|---|---|
| Aviation & Nautical Lives | 29% |
| Maritime History | 23% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Exploration & Discovery
- Maritime History & Piracy
- Marine Life
- Authors
- Nathaniel Philbrick
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Published
- May 1, 2001
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- survival · maritime history · American literature
- Reading lane
- Exploration & Discovery