In the Heart of the Sea - Hardcover

In The Heart of the Sea - Hardcover   Synopsis:   Part I, Maritime Commerce and the Sea Services, covers the diversity of naval and maritime operations during the period. Subjects treated include smuggling in New England, the American model for the China trade, the undeclared naval war with FSynopsis: Recounts the story of the 1820 wreck of the whaleship Essex, which in its time was as mythic as the sinking of the Titanic and which inspired Melville's classic Moby Dick, and recounts its doomed crew's ninety-day attempt to survive whale attacks and the elements on three tiny lifeboats. 125,000 first printing. First serial, Vanity Fair. Review:   The appeal of Dava Sobel's Longitude was, in part, that it illuminated a little-known piece of history through a series of captivating incidents and engaging personalities. Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea is certainly cast from the same mold, examining the 19th-century Pacific whaling industry through the arc of the sinking of the whaleship Essex by a boisterous sperm whale. The story that inspired Herman Melville's classic Moby-Dick has a lot going for it--derring-do, cannibalism, rescue--and Philbrick proves an amiable and well-informed narrator, providing both context and detail. We learn about the importance and mechanics of blubber production--a vital source of oil--and we get the nuts and bolts of harpooning and life aboard whalers. We are spared neither the nitty-gritty of open boats nor the sucking of human bones dryrance, the controversial attack by an American warship on a British merchantman shortly after the end of the War of 1812, and adjudicating the slave trade. Part II, James Fenimore Cooper and the Birth of American Maritime Experience, includes four essays devoted to the great American literary figure's involvement in historical controversy, contributions to writing naval history and sea fiction, and the inspiration provided by his own nautical experience. Together the eleven essays constitute a powerful statement about the current strength and potential of early American maritime studies.The Lost Fleet - Softcover     Please Note: These are closeout books.  They might have scuffs and scratches but lets get realistic they are meant to be read!