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  • In the Heart of the Sea

  • The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
  • Written by: Nathaniel Philbrick
  • Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
  • Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

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In the Heart of the Sea cover art

In the Heart of the Sea

Written by: Nathaniel Philbrick
Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
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Publisher's Summary

National Book Award winner

The ordeal of the whaleship Essex was an event as mythic in the 19th century as the sinking of the Titanic was in the 20th. In 1819, the Essex left Nantucket for the South Pacific with 20 crew members aboard. In the middle of the South Pacific the ship was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale. The crew drifted for more than 90 days in three tiny whaleboats, succumbing to weather, hunger, disease, and ultimately turning to drastic measures in the fight for survival.

Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents, including a long-lost account written by the ship's cabin boy, and penetrating details about whaling and the Nantucket community to reveal the chilling events surrounding this epic maritime disaster. An intense and mesmerizing read, In the Heart of the Sea is a monumental work of history forever placing the Essex tragedy in the American historical canon.
©2000 Nathaniel Philbrick (P)2000 Penguin Audiobooks
  • Abridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
World United States Mexico Biological Sciences Engineering
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What the critics say

"Fascinating...One of our country's great adventure stories...when it comes to extremes, In the Heart of the Sea is right there." (The Wall Street Journal)

"A book that gets in your bones...Philbrick has created an eerie thriller from a centuries old tale....Scrupulously researched and eloquently written...it would have earned Melville's admiration." (The New York Times Book Review)

"[Told] with verve and authenticity...a classic tale of the sea." (San Francisco Chronicle)

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Profile Image for Michael

One the greatest audiobooks I’ve listened to!!!

Absolutely engrossing and narrated by one of the greatest of all narrators. Cannot recommend highly enough!

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