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By sticking to the tried and tested Longitude formula, Philbrick has missed a slight trick or two. The epicenter of the whaling industry was Nantucket, a small island off Cape Cod; most of the whales were in the Pacific, necessitating a huge journey around the southernmost tip of South America. We never learn why no one ever tried to create an alternative whaling capital somewhere nearer. Similarly, Philbrick tells us that the story of the Essex was well known to Americans for decades, but he never explores how such legends fade from our consciousness. Philbrick would no doubt reply that such questions were beyond his remit, and you can't exactly accuse him of skimping on his research. By any standard, 50 pages of footnotes impress, though he wears his learning lightly. He doesn't get bogged down in turgid detail, and his narrative rattles along at a nice pace. When the storyline is as good as this, you can't really ask for more. --John Crace, Amazon.co.uk
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Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 1369838-n
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The Number One best-selling, epic true-life story of one of the most notorious maritime disasters of the 19th century, beautifully reissued alongside Philbricks new paperback, Sea of Glory. The sinking of the whaleship Essex by an enraged spermwhale in the Pacific in November 1820 set in motion one of the most dramatic sea stories of all time: the twenty sailors who survived the wreck took to three small boats (one of which was again attacked by a whale) and only eight of them survived their subsequent 90-day ordeal, after resorting to cannibalising their mates.Three months after the Essex was broken up, the whaleship Dauphin, cruising off the coast of South America, spotted a small boat in the open ocean. As they pulled alongside they saw piles of bones in the bottom of the boat, at least two skeletons worth, with two survivors almost skeletons themselves sucking the marrow from the bones of their dead ship-mates. The true-life story of one of the most notorious maritime disasters of the 19th century, which was the inspiration for Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780006531203
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780006531203
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780006531203
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. The Number One best-selling, epic true-life story of one of the most notorious maritime disasters of the 19th century, beautifully reissued alongside Philbrick's new paperback, Sea of Glory. Seller Inventory # B9780006531203
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 336 pages. 7.72x4.88x0.94 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0006531202
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0006531202
Book Description Condition: New. 2005. Paperback. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780006531203
Book Description Condition: New. 2005. Paperback. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780006531203