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Narrative of the Most Extraordinary And Distressing Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex
"I saw the whale ahead of us, coming with twice his ordinary speed, and with tenfold fury and vengeance in his aspect. The surf flew in all directions about him and his course toward us was marked by a white foam which he made with continual violent thrashing of his tail; his head was about half out of water and in that way he came upon and again struck the ship." An angry whale rams and destroys a whale ship in 1820. The helpless crew stranded 1500 miles from land struggles in a desperate journey for survival fighting storms at sea, the relentless sun, lack of water and a dwindling food supply. This is a recording of the original book published in 1821, written by the First Mate of the Essex which influenced author Herman Melville and his novel Moby Dick . Note to listeners: the end of this narrative describes cannibalism and may disturb some persons.
Audio CD
First published October 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 6, 2015
You could just say this is a lovely coffee table book full of incredible illustrations and sidebars about cannibalism to browse, but I am way too much of a Moby-Dick/19th century/old-timey whatnot dork to stop there so I read the whole thing. This book presents Owen Chase's memoir alongside excerpts from Melville and other narratives related to whaling and survival at sea. I was especially fascinated by the story of the ship Medusa and the painting it inspired, "The Raft of the Medusa." (What happens when a hundred people on a raft, lacking the discipline of the sailors on the Essex, have nothing to sustain them except wine?…it's not good for the weak…)
Owen Chase's memoir inspired Moby-Dick, and what I find interesting about both the novel and this memoir is the greater context: we are reminded that beyond the dramatic events is an entire industry and international trade economy. The men in these tales face the intense terrors of the sea, the "monsters" within it, and in some cases the darkest depths of humanity in order to bring home oil for lamps and baleen for corsets. "That dress looks great, especially in the light of this smoke-free spermaceti candle…but was your underwear crafted from a cannibal-free whaling expedition?" Interesting perspective.
Owen Chase's memoir inspired Moby-Dick, and what I find interesting about both the novel and this memoir is the greater context: we are reminded that beyond the dramatic events is an entire industry and international trade economy. The men in these tales face the intense terrors of the sea, the "monsters" within it, and in some cases the darkest depths of humanity in order to bring home oil for lamps and baleen for corsets. "That dress looks great, especially in the light of this smoke-free spermaceti candle…but was your underwear crafted from a cannibal-free whaling expedition?" Interesting perspective.
August 6, 2015
Book received courtesy of Goodreads.com giveaway.
This is a beautiful coffee table book. The illustrations and photographs are interspersed throughout the story of the "Essex" as told by Owen Chase. Also, in the book you will find many accounts of other whale wrecks of ships in the 1700's and 1800's. All accounts are taken directly from books of the period so the wording can be a little tricky. However, the idea of the horrific situations these whalers found themselves is quite evident. For anyone interested in the early whaling industry this is a great addition. Also, for lovers of "Moby Dick" that Melville based on Owen Chase's writings.
This is a beautiful coffee table book. The illustrations and photographs are interspersed throughout the story of the "Essex" as told by Owen Chase. Also, in the book you will find many accounts of other whale wrecks of ships in the 1700's and 1800's. All accounts are taken directly from books of the period so the wording can be a little tricky. However, the idea of the horrific situations these whalers found themselves is quite evident. For anyone interested in the early whaling industry this is a great addition. Also, for lovers of "Moby Dick" that Melville based on Owen Chase's writings.
September 14, 2019
It's the bicentennial of the Wreck of the whaling ship Essex (out of Nantucket) in the southern Pacific Ocean. "We have been stove by a whale" were among the last words yelled from the deck of the vessel before all aboard had to abandon it for lifeboats.
And what an interesting staving in that was. And what an interesting whale. Because if you read the accounts of the whale's attack, it does not seem accidental at all. It was defending the members of its pod which were being slaughtered. It wasn't just one attack. It went through the hull twice, from different directions. That was a smart whale. And, some would argue, a just one. "Kill my wife and children and I will leave you stranded in the South Pacific Ocean without a prayer." Can you blame the creature?
What followed is a really grisly tale of cannibalism at sea which probably should have inspired Poe. But it inspired Melville instead. Did you realize he never really profited from that book in his lifetime? After a few more tries at the novel, he gave up and wrote poetry which is rarely read these days.
This book is a coffee table book and a case book. It includes written accounts of the wreck and its horrible aftermath by men who were there but also includes modern analyses. It's chock-a-block with great illustrations and period photography. It's a larger book but not huge.
It's riveting reading. I found myself wondering whether anyone had ever made a movie about the wreck of the Essex. So it turns out there was a version that aired on the BBC and Ron Howard did a film in 2015. I completely missed even the advertising for the latter. I wonder how he handled it. This story is so weird that I'd actually prefer to see someone like Peter Weir do the film.
When the Essex sailors were anchored among the Galapagos, they carelessly started a fire that consumed large portions of one of the islands and this conflagration is believed to be responsible for the complete extinction of at least two animal species, a tortoise and a bird. So what follows on the sea feels almost like a mystical payback by nature. I realize that's a superstitious take, but a karmic one.
This book includes many interesting "sidebar features," wherein historical information is given to put things in context. It's a really nice assemblage and Zenith Press should be proud.
One last irony: the reason the sailors who abandoned the Essex for lifeboats were stranded months at sea was that they feared approaching the Marquesas or Society Islands because they had heard rumors that cannibalism was practiced there. And because they chose to sail on so much further in an attempt to reach Easter Island (which proved abortive) they ended up having to engage in cannibalism among themselves.
And what an interesting staving in that was. And what an interesting whale. Because if you read the accounts of the whale's attack, it does not seem accidental at all. It was defending the members of its pod which were being slaughtered. It wasn't just one attack. It went through the hull twice, from different directions. That was a smart whale. And, some would argue, a just one. "Kill my wife and children and I will leave you stranded in the South Pacific Ocean without a prayer." Can you blame the creature?
What followed is a really grisly tale of cannibalism at sea which probably should have inspired Poe. But it inspired Melville instead. Did you realize he never really profited from that book in his lifetime? After a few more tries at the novel, he gave up and wrote poetry which is rarely read these days.
This book is a coffee table book and a case book. It includes written accounts of the wreck and its horrible aftermath by men who were there but also includes modern analyses. It's chock-a-block with great illustrations and period photography. It's a larger book but not huge.
It's riveting reading. I found myself wondering whether anyone had ever made a movie about the wreck of the Essex. So it turns out there was a version that aired on the BBC and Ron Howard did a film in 2015. I completely missed even the advertising for the latter. I wonder how he handled it. This story is so weird that I'd actually prefer to see someone like Peter Weir do the film.
When the Essex sailors were anchored among the Galapagos, they carelessly started a fire that consumed large portions of one of the islands and this conflagration is believed to be responsible for the complete extinction of at least two animal species, a tortoise and a bird. So what follows on the sea feels almost like a mystical payback by nature. I realize that's a superstitious take, but a karmic one.
This book includes many interesting "sidebar features," wherein historical information is given to put things in context. It's a really nice assemblage and Zenith Press should be proud.
One last irony: the reason the sailors who abandoned the Essex for lifeboats were stranded months at sea was that they feared approaching the Marquesas or Society Islands because they had heard rumors that cannibalism was practiced there. And because they chose to sail on so much further in an attempt to reach Easter Island (which proved abortive) they ended up having to engage in cannibalism among themselves.
May 19, 2015
This book is packed with such great illustrations and photos. You not only get the tale of the Essex as written by Owen Chase but much more. There are various short essays interspersed throughout. There's information on whale fishing,an excerpt from Moby Dick, stories of other boats that were lost. This is a high quality book and a great read!
April 17, 2020
This is a coffee-table book, if you want to spit the coffee all over the table. Because of yuckiness of a few chapters, which were essential details indeed.
I did not read the illustrated version of this book; just from Project Gutenberg.
Unnecessarily extra-long sentences. But short read, which was a relief.
I did not read the illustrated version of this book; just from Project Gutenberg.
Unnecessarily extra-long sentences. But short read, which was a relief.
September 1, 2007
Basis for Melville's Moby Dick. I'm rooting for the whale!
July 27, 2015
A great supplement to In the Heart of the Sea! Short read, incredible story.
February 23, 2016
Good Historical account, and well presented
November 12, 2024
from goodreads site:
Read Owen Chase's memoir which inspired Moby-Dick and In the Heart of the Sea, the major motion picture from Ron Howard, released December 2015. Owen Chase was the first mate on the ill-fated American whaling ship Essex , which was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the southern Pacific Ocean in 1820. The crew spent months at sea in leaking boats and endured the blazing sun, attacks by killer whales, and lack of food. The men were forced to resort to cannibalism before the final eight survivors were rescued. Herman Melville based his 1851 novel, Moby-Dick , on the sinking. Chase recorded the tale of the ship's sinking and the following events with harrowing clarity in the Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex . "I turned around and saw him about one hundred rods [500 m or 550 yards] directly ahead of us, coming down with twice his ordinary speed of around 24 knots (44 km/h), and it appeared with tenfold fury and vengeance in his aspect. The surf flew in all directions about him with the continual violent thrashing of his tail. His head about half out of the water, and in that way he came upon us, and again struck the ship." - Owen Chase. Filled with art, photographs, maps, and artifacts, this is a richly illustrated edition of Chase's memoir, augmented with memoirs of other participants, as well as the perspectives of historians, contemporary and modern. "If you are interested in a coffee-table book which covers the importance of the whaling industry and the wreck that influenced Herman Melville to write the American classic Moby-Dick, then get the Complete Illustrated Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex." - William Connery, Author of Civil War Northern Virginia 1861
Read Owen Chase's memoir which inspired Moby-Dick and In the Heart of the Sea, the major motion picture from Ron Howard, released December 2015. Owen Chase was the first mate on the ill-fated American whaling ship Essex , which was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the southern Pacific Ocean in 1820. The crew spent months at sea in leaking boats and endured the blazing sun, attacks by killer whales, and lack of food. The men were forced to resort to cannibalism before the final eight survivors were rescued. Herman Melville based his 1851 novel, Moby-Dick , on the sinking. Chase recorded the tale of the ship's sinking and the following events with harrowing clarity in the Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex . "I turned around and saw him about one hundred rods [500 m or 550 yards] directly ahead of us, coming down with twice his ordinary speed of around 24 knots (44 km/h), and it appeared with tenfold fury and vengeance in his aspect. The surf flew in all directions about him with the continual violent thrashing of his tail. His head about half out of the water, and in that way he came upon us, and again struck the ship." - Owen Chase. Filled with art, photographs, maps, and artifacts, this is a richly illustrated edition of Chase's memoir, augmented with memoirs of other participants, as well as the perspectives of historians, contemporary and modern. "If you are interested in a coffee-table book which covers the importance of the whaling industry and the wreck that influenced Herman Melville to write the American classic Moby-Dick, then get the Complete Illustrated Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex." - William Connery, Author of Civil War Northern Virginia 1861
December 30, 2019
This is the first-hand account of the Essex, which was sunk by a whale in the southern Pacific in 1820, leaving the sailors in small boats for many days with great suffering and finally cannibalism. I read this on a kindle and was at first baffled by the format. There is a straightforward narrative, which is followed by at least a dozen shorter pieces relating similar encounters with whales, shipwrecks, explanations of how whaling was historically done, newspaper articles, plus illustrations. I finally realized that in its usual format, this is a large coffee table book. The main narrative is accompanied by sidebars with the other bits and pieces. All in all, it's a fascinating collection.
September 20, 2022
This first-hand account of one of history's most infamous shipwrecks is as fascinating as I expected it to be, but also surprisingly well written. I profited from it (it would feel sort of wrong to say "I enjoyed it," although—truth be told—I did) both as a historical document and as a piece of literature.
Some seem to believe that accounts like these, being hundreds of years old and concerning by-gone industries, are no longer relevant. The truth is that these tales of privation and the power of nature are more relevant today than they were in the 1820s. To readers "in those olden days," these accounts were merely oddities. To us, they are so much more...
Some seem to believe that accounts like these, being hundreds of years old and concerning by-gone industries, are no longer relevant. The truth is that these tales of privation and the power of nature are more relevant today than they were in the 1820s. To readers "in those olden days," these accounts were merely oddities. To us, they are so much more...
February 26, 2024
Här beskriver förstestyrman Owen Chase de verkliga händelserna efter förlisningen av valfångstfartyget Essex och försöken att överleva mitt ute på Stilla havet. Några år efter förlisningen mötte Herman Melville, själv ute på ett valfångstfartyg, Chase son och fick läsa berättelsen. Den blev en av de stora inspirationskällorna till klassikern Moby Dick.
Tycker det var intressant läsning och dessutom lärorikt om man är intresserade av valfångst och sjöfart under 1800-talet.
Tycker det var intressant läsning och dessutom lärorikt om man är intresserade av valfångst och sjöfart under 1800-talet.
June 28, 2018
Ick .... ship wreck horror story
Cannibalism included. Double ick. The scariest part to me, is to have SOME sort of reckoning as to where the boat was, but NOT HAVE THE WINDS blowing in a direction to GET there. A whale of a tail: A whale's revenge.
Cannibalism included. Double ick. The scariest part to me, is to have SOME sort of reckoning as to where the boat was, but NOT HAVE THE WINDS blowing in a direction to GET there. A whale of a tail: A whale's revenge.
August 3, 2018
An enjoyable version of the true account that spawned the beastly book by Melville. Lots of side bar stories to help paint the picture. Great illustrations and images.
February 15, 2019
Very interesting read. Beautiful pictures.
June 24, 2023
A bit of family history here for me!
August 9, 2025
Short & exciting. Good listen in the car.
March 11, 2017
An interesting first person account of the true story that inspired Moby Dick. Told in a fairly straight forward manner in the language of the day. I say fairly straight forward because the language of the day was subtle and sometimes indirect. I generally enjoy 19th Century writing because the language is so formal and proper but it’s been a while and it took some time to get back into the cadence of old time story telling. The weakness of this volume is not Chase’s tale which is exceedingly brief but in the supplemental materiel that verged upon pure filler. A mishmash of whale attacks and unrelated cannibal stories. There is no organizational outline to pull these disparate items together into a whole or even explain their relevance to the story of the Essex. Save yourself some dough and look up the Wikipedia entry on the Essex
February 14, 2015
The Essex Tragedy as Told by the First Mate
Fascinating account of that horrible tragedy. Read this after Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea. The fact that Owen Chase journalist each day through his ordeal is amazing. Highly recommended for those interested in the Essex Tragedy. Onward now to Moby Dick ~ I hear that is one whale of a tale, but I think I am ready now. There is much to be gleaned from Owen Chase's writing: "I attempted to speak a few words of comfort and encouragement to him, and endeavored to persuade him that it was a great weakness and even wickedness to abandon a reliance upon the Almighty, while the least hope, and a breath of life remained..."
Owen Chase survived an ordeal most of us would not even be able to imagine. I am glad his account has been preserved all these years.
Fascinating account of that horrible tragedy. Read this after Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea. The fact that Owen Chase journalist each day through his ordeal is amazing. Highly recommended for those interested in the Essex Tragedy. Onward now to Moby Dick ~ I hear that is one whale of a tale, but I think I am ready now. There is much to be gleaned from Owen Chase's writing: "I attempted to speak a few words of comfort and encouragement to him, and endeavored to persuade him that it was a great weakness and even wickedness to abandon a reliance upon the Almighty, while the least hope, and a breath of life remained..."
Owen Chase survived an ordeal most of us would not even be able to imagine. I am glad his account has been preserved all these years.
January 27, 2015
A very interesting first-hand account by the first mate - whaling ship attacked by a whale and they must survive in small boats for several months. With limited food and water, how they survive is interesting. Hint hint! In case you don't know, this true story was the inspiration for Moby Dick (Melville later met the first mate after reading this account). This is a very short account but it's fairly gripping.
May 18, 2016
I was interested to read this after watching the 2015 movie In the Heart of the Sea. I should have been reading Thomas Nickerson's account, since that's what the movie was based on (and the novel Moby Dick too), but never mind. Anyway, Owen Chase's writing frightened and fascinated; it was clear and vibrant. I recommend it after watching the movie.
July 2, 2015
What a fantastic book! Extremely well written and the pictures, drawings are outstanding. Thrilled to have been chosen to read. Cannot say enough...have to read for yourself! Goodreads winner, thank you!
May 16, 2015
Bra bok, dårleg opplesing.
January 2, 2016
Excellent book - way better than the movie, "In the Heart of the Sea", which was based on this account and Thomas Nickerson's.
March 14, 2016
Rivoting and Emotional
Hearing the story from thee source captivates from page one. Even knowing the outcome doesn't prevent readers from drinking in this tale of survival.
Hearing the story from thee source captivates from page one. Even knowing the outcome doesn't prevent readers from drinking in this tale of survival.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews