In the Heart of the Sea, Young Reader..., Nathaniel Philbrick
In the Heart of the Sea, Young Reader..., Nathaniel Philbrick
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In the Heart of the Sea, Young Reader's Edition
The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Author: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrator: Taylor Mali

Unabridged: 5 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/15/2015

Synopsis

In the Heart of the Sea brings to new life the incredible story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex—the inspiration for the climax of Moby-Dick. In a harrowing page-turner, Nathaniel Philbrick restores this epic story to its rightful place in American history.In 1819 the 240-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage. Fifteen months later, in the farthest reaches of the South Pacific, it was repeatedly rammed and sunk by an eighty-ton bull sperm whale. Its twenty-man crew, fearing cannibals on the islands to the west, made for the 3,000-mile-distant coast of South America in three tiny boats. During ninety days at sea under horrendous conditions, the survivors clung to life as one by one, they succumbed to hunger, thirst, disease, and fear.In the Heart of the Sea tells perhaps the greatest sea story ever. Philbrick interweaves his account of this extraordinary ordeal of ordinary men with a wealth of whale lore and with a brilliantly detailed portrait of the lost, unique community of Nantucket whalers. Impeccably researched and beautifully told, the book delivers the ultimate portrait of man against nature. At once a literary companion and a page-turner that speaks to the same issues of class, race, and man’s relationship to nature that permeate the works of Melville, In the Heart of the Sea will endure as a vital work of American history.

About Nathaniel Philbrick

Nathaniel Philbrick grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and earned a BA in English from Brown University and an MA in America Literature from Duke University, where he was a James B. Duke Fellow. He was Brown University’s first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978, the same year he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, Rhode Island. After working as an editor at Sailing World magazine, he wrote and edited several books about sailing, including The Passionate Sailor, Second Wind, and Yaahting: A Parody.     In 2000, Philbrick published the New York Times bestseller In the Heart of the Sea, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction. The book is the basis of the Warner Bros. motion picture Heart of the Sea, directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Benjamin Walker, Ben Wishaw, and Tom Holland. The book also inspired a 2001 Dateline special on NBC as well as the 2010 two-hour PBS American Experience film Into the Deep by Ric Burns.   Philbrick’s writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. He has appeared on the Today show, The Morning Show, Dateline, PBS’s American Experience, C-SPAN, and NPR. He and his wife live on Nantucket.

About Taylor Mali

Taylor Mali is the former president of Poetry Slam, Inc., and one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement. He is the author of two books of poetry, What Learning Leaves and The Last Time as We Are, and four CDs of spoken word. He has appeared on the first two seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and won the jury prize for best one-man show at the United States Comedy Arts Festival. A passionate advocate of teachers, he travels the country recruiting the next generation of teachers with his 1,000 Teachers Campaign. Taylor lives in New York.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Adrianne on May 12, 2008

I have never, ever, in my LIFE, met a nonfiction book I was unable to put down before. This may be because I am stupid, but I like to think it's because I'm interested in the details. Most nonfiction I've encountered is either written by: a.) Someone who experienced something interesting, but who can......more

Goodreads review by Taufiq on November 12, 2024

I'm absolutely captivated by this novel. It's a masterpiece. Philbrick’s skill is evident in crafting this harrowing tale of a whaling ship disaster, where survivors are forced to endure 89 days adrift in a small boat, crossing 4,500 miles of ocean, and ultimately resorting to cannibalism to stay al......more

Goodreads review by Florence (Lefty) on October 19, 2013

Best piece of non-fiction I’ve read in years – I know it’s a cliché but you can’t make this stuff up! In 1819, a whaling ship is rammed by a sperm whale, not once but twiceand the surviving crew drifts for 90 days in three tiny boats, Captain Bligh’s 48 day ordeal pales in comparison. They eventual......more

Goodreads review by Michael on October 08, 2019

This book was a fantastic tale, the facts of which were an inspiration to Melville who met the surviving captain years later. The ship Essex headed to whaling groups in - as Phibrick excellently describes as the most desolate spot on Earth - a thousand miles off the coast of Chile in the Pacific. Be......more

Quotes

“Nathaniel Philbrick has taken one of the most horrifying stories in maritime history and turned it into a classic…One of the most chilling books I have ever read.” Sebastian Junger, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Storm

“In the Heart of the Sea is a true story of unimaginable horror. The source for Melville’s ‘mighty book’ is a tale told wonderfully well by Nathaniel Philbrick.” Peter Benchley, New York Times bestselling author

“Spellbinding.” Time

“Fascinating…One of our country’s great adventure stories…when it comes to extremes, In the Heart of the Sea is right there.” 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.” New York Times Book Review

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

“With a gracefulness of language that rarely falters, Philbrick spins a ghastly, irresistible tale.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Philbrick brings the era to life, giving readers a rounded picture of the whaling industry and its society…He fleshes out the tale in an exciting manner that sweeps readers along.” Library Journal

“A fascinating tale, well told.” Booklist

“A gripping chronicle of an epic voyage of hardship and survival that deserves to be as well known now as it once was.” Kirkus Reviews

Awards

  • National Book Award
  • Kirkus Reviews Pick
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