In 1819, the 238-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage to hunt whales. Fifteen months later the Essex was rammed and sunk by an enraged sperm whale. Fearing cannibals on the islands to the west, the 20-man crew set out in three small boats for South America, almost 3,000 miles away. Three months later, only eight were left alive. This book shares a fantastic saga of survival and adventure, steeped in the lore of the whaling tradition, with deep resonance in literature and American history, and in the life of the Nantucket community. - Back cover.
Details
ISBN:9780141001821
Physical Description:xvi, 302 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., maps ; 24 cm.
Publisher:New York :Penguin,2001.
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (p. [279]-289) and index.