Shipwreck of the Whaleship 'Essex - Softcover

Chase, Owen

3.89

1,350 ratings by Goodreads

9780712667418: Shipwreck of the Whaleship 'Essex

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712667415 ISBN 13: 9780712667418

Publisher: Pimlico, 2000

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Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex is the gripping story of a ship's encounter with a great white whale and the crew's harrowing plight for survival on the open seas. On 20 November 1820 the Essex was rammed by a sperm whale and sank in mid-Pacific. This book contains first mate's Owen Chase's original 1821 narrative, as well as two others written by the captain and a shipmate of the Essex. Each tells of the whale's attack, the sinking of the ship, and the three dreadful months that followed as the remainder of the crew were left stranded in a few small open boats in the South Seas. Of the twenty men that escaped the ship, eight survived; and they did so only by resorting to cannibalism.Capturing all the elements of an ancient and powerful tragedy, this book is a thrilling tale of survival - as well as a frightful example of man's darkest impulses - which allows the reader a gruesome glimpse behind the theatrical veil of honour and bravery that history often ascribes to such men of the sea. 'The reading of this wondrous story had a surprising effect upon me,' wrote Herman Melville on reading Owen Chase's narrative. An age-old gem of maritime lore, this story has made its mark as an inspiration for Moby Dick, one of the most legendary novels ever written.

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From the Back Cover:

Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex is the gripping account of a ship's encounter with a great white whale and the crew's harrowing plight for survival on the open seas. This edition contains Owen Chase's original 1921 narrative, as well as two others written by the captain and a shipmate of the Essex. Each tells of a sperm whale's attack on the ship, the sinking of the Essex, and the three dreadful months that followed as the remainder of the crew were left stranded in a few small open boats in the South Seas. Of the twenty men that escaped the ship, eight survived; and they did so only by resorting to cannibalism.Capturing all the elements of an ancient and powerful tragedy, this book is a thrilling tale of survival - as well as a frightful examination of man's darkest impulses - which allows the reader a gruesome glimpse behind the theatrical veil of honor and bravery that history often ascribes to such men of the sea. An age-old gem of maritime lore, this volume has made its mark as an inspiration for one of the most legendary American novels ever written. (51/2 X 81/4, 176 pages, narrative reproductions, map)

About the Author:

Owen Chase was born in 1797 and worked as a whaler in Nantucket. In November 1820, the whale ship Essex, of which Chase was First Mate, was struck and sunk by a sperm whale. His subsequent account of the three-month-long ordeal that followed was published in 1821 and inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick. Afterwards, Chase continued to work as a whaler, embarking on several further expeditions until 1840. Despite many years at sea he married four times during this period. Chase's latter years were haunted by memories of the disaster and he was eventually institutionalised. He died in 1869.

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