Leviathan

The History of Whaling in America

By: Eric Jay Dolin

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Paperback | 8 January 2010 | Edition Number 1

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512 Pages

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21.0 x 13.9 x 3.2

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The epic history of the "iron men in wooden boats" who built an industrial empire through the pursuit of whales. "To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme," Herman Melville proclaimed, and this absorbing history demonstrates that few things can capture the sheer danger and desperation of men on the deep sea as dramatically as whaling. Eric Jay Dolin begins his vivid narrative with Captain John Smith's botched whaling expedition to the New World in 1614. He then chronicles the rise of a burgeoning industry—from its brutal struggles during the Revolutionary period to its golden age in the mid-1800s when a fleet of more than 700 ships hunted the seas and American whale oil lit the world, to its decline as the twentieth century dawned. This sweeping social and economic history provides rich and often fantastic accounts of the men themselves, who mutinied, murdered, rioted, deserted, drank, scrimshawed, and recorded their experiences in journals and memoirs. Containing a wealth of naturalistic detail on whales, Leviathan is the most original and stirring history of American whaling in many decades.

Industry Reviews

"...perfect summer reading, especially if you happen to be spending the summer by the sea, or on it." -- Adam Kirsch - New York Sun
"Leviathan is an exhaustive, richly detailed history of industrial American whaling...Dolin succeeds admirably at what he sets out to do: tell the story of one of the strangest industries in American history." -- Bruce Barcott - New York Times
"Starred Review. Engrossing account...at once grand and quirky, entertaining and informative." -- Publishers Weekly
"Mr. Dolin handles this long, complex tale with great skill, both as a historian and as a writer (the bibliography and illustrations are splended too)...Leviathan is thoroughly engaging." -- John Steele Gordon - The Wall Street Journal

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Introduction	p. 11
Arrival and Ascent, 1614-1774
John Smith Goes Whaling	p. 17
"The King of Waters, The Sea-Shouldering Whale"	p. 30
All Along the Coast	p. 41
Nantucket, the "Faraway Land"	p. 63
The Whale's Whale	p. 75
Into "Ye Deep"	p. 90
Candle Wars	p. 109
Glory Days	p. 119
Tragedy and Triumph, 1775-1860
On the Eve of Revolution	p. 139
Ruin	p. 149
Up from the Ashes	p. 165
Knockdown	p. 188
The Golden Age	p. 205
"An Enormous, Filthy Humbug"	p. 253
Stories, Songs, Sex, and Scrimshaw	p. 275
Mutinies, Murders, Mayhem, and Malevolent Whales	p. 282
Disaster and Decay, 1861-1924
Stones in the Harbor and Fire on the Water	p. 309
From the Earth	p. 335
Ice Crush	p. 342
Fading Away	p. 353
Epilogue: Fin Out	p. 370
Notes	p. 375
Select Bibliography	p. 453
Illustration Credits	p. 461
Acknowledgments	p. 463
Index	p. 467
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Leviathan

The History of Whaling in America

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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