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Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex
Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing
by Owen Chase
ISBN: 1558218785
ISBN-13: 9781558218789
Format: Paperback
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Summary
This first hand account of the harrowing story of a Nantucket whaleship sunk by a sperm whale on the Pacific and the fate of the 20 crew members thereafter is told by first mate Owen Chase.
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Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Globe Pequot Pr
Published date: 1999
Size: 5.5 x 8.5 inches
Weight: 0.5 pounds
Publisher's Notes
Melville's famous description of the sinking of the Pequod by the white whale -- one of the most exciting moments in American literature -- was based on a true story documented in 1821 by first mate Owen Chase in his Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex, and by his shipmate and captain in two separate accounts. Each account tells of a sperm whale's attack on the Essex in the South Seas, and of the crew's three-month struggle while stranded in small open boats. Of twenty men, eight survived. Six who died were eaten by their shipmates, one -- the cabin boy -- after lots had been drawn. The captain writes that he exclaimed, "My lad, my lad, if you don't like your lot, I'll shoot the first man that touches you." The boy replied, "I like it as well as any other." "He was soon dispatched, " the captain writes, "and nothing of him left...my head is on fire at the recollection." This volume reproduces these gripping accounts, as well as Herman Melville's notes on the narratives. It sheds light on both our darkest impulses and our most ascendant selves, and gives rare insight into the workings of one of the most important literary minds of all time.
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Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex
Owen Chase, forward by Tim Cahill
Lyons Press, 1999 PB. 5 1/2 x 8 1/4. ISBN:1-55821-878-5. The powerful original narrative of the disaster that befell the whale ship Essex which was rammed and sunk by a whale. Only a few of the crew survived their orde al in open boats and then only after resorting to cannibalism. 144 pp.. First Thus. Trade Paperback. Very Good. ( more information) Offered by SeaOceanBooks.com (United States)
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2)
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Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex
Owen Chase, forward by Tim Cahill
1999 PB. 5 1/2 x 8 1/4. ISBN:1-55821-878-5. The powerful original narrative of the disaster that befell the whale ship Essex which was rammed and sunk by a whale. Only a few of the crew survived their orde al in open boats and then only after resorting to cannibalism. 144 pp.. ( more information) Offered by SeaOceanBooks.com (United States)
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3)
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Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex
Owen Chase, et al
New York & Chicago, USA: The Lyons Press , 1999 Reprint of the 1821 narrative of the sinking of a whaleship by a whale that inspired Moby Dick. Includes the account of 93 days at sea and survival by drawing lots for cannibalism. Includes accounts by two other survivors, one the Captain's. Includes facsimiles of Herman Mellvilles handwritten notes on his book and Memoranda on Owen Chase. Forward by Tim Cahill and intro by Paul Lyons. Book is in Very Good Plus condition, some yellowing of pages. Maps & bibliography included. Pages and covers clean; spine straight. Slight edge yellowing and soiling. . First Trade Paperback Printing. Trade Paperback. Very Good Plus/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. ( more information) Offered by Spirit Tomes and Treasures (United States)
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