Dimensions
139 x 210 x 12mm
On 20 November 1820, just south of the equator, the whaling ship "Essex", out of Nantucket, spotted a shoal of sperm whales. It was a fine clear day, about eight in the morning. Two whaling boats, lightly built for rowing speed, were lowered from the "Essex". The crew pursued and harpooned three of the whales, whereupon the largest of them - some 85 feet long - rammed the "Essex" twice in ten minutes and stove in her bows.
This remarkable incident was followed by an epic three-month journey in open boats across storm-tossed seas - a feat of navigation and survival that rivals those of Shackleton and Bligh. Only eight men survived, sustained by eating six of those who died.
This edition includes memoirs by 23-year-old first mate Owen Chase, another crew member and the ship's captain. Capturing all the elements of an ancient and powerful tragedy, this book, which inspired Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick', is a thrilling tale of survival - as well as a frightful illustration of man's darkest impulses.
