In the Heart of the Sea: The Epic True Story That Inspired 'Moby Dick'

Author(s): Nathaniel Philbrick

Historical

The epic true-life story of one of the most notorious maritime disasters of the nineteenth century - and inspiration for 'Moby-Dick' - reissued to accompany a major motion picture due for release in December 2015, directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker and Cillian Murphy. When the whaleship Essex set sail from Nantucket in 1819, the unthinkable happened. A mere speck in the vast Pacific ocean - and powerless against the forces of nature - Essex was rammed and sunk by an enraged sperm whale, and her twenty crewmen were forced to take to the open sea in three small boats. Ninety days later only a handful of survivors were rescued - and a terrifying story of desperation, cannibalism and courage was revealed... One of the greatest sea yarns ever spun, 'In the Heart of the Sea' is the true story of the extraordinary events that inspired Herman Melville's masterpiece 'Moby-Dick'.


Product Information

'Utterly gripping' Daily Telegraph 'Brilliant' The Times 'Superbly readable ... elegantly written ... a compelling study of the infinite human meanings of the sea itself' Guardian 'As gripping as it is grisly ... a cracking narrative, a complex cast of characters and a terrible moral dilemma at its heart' Daily Mail

Nathaniel Philbrick is a historian and broadcaster who has written extensively about sailing. He is director of the Egan Institute of Maritime Studies on Nantucket Island, and a research fellow at the Nantucket Historical Association. He was a consultant on the movie Moby Dick. He has lived on Nantucket with his wife and two children since 1986.

General Fields

  • : 9780008126834
  • : HarperCollins Publishers Limited
  • : William Collins
  • : 0.248
  • : November 2015
  • : 197mm X 130mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : March 2015
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : 8 b/w plates (16pp)
  • : 336
  • : 910.91648
  • : English
  • : Film Tie-In Edition
  • : Paperback
  • : Nathaniel Philbrick