Stove by a Whale

"Chase's Narrative 'is a good catch for its own sake.'"—New York Times Book Review

"The astonishing list of books, logs, manuscripts, court records, ships' registers, and museum records attest to the diligent weeks, months, and even years that have finally resulted in a volume that entrances the reader with yarns of the sea. All the drama is still there, intact."—Ocean

"wondrous tale [to catch] the top-gallant delight of insatiable devotees of whaling lore and all true Melvilleans."—South Atlantic Quarterly

"Chase's Narrative 'is a good catch for its own sake.'"—New York Times Book Review

"On November 20, 1820, a great whale rammed the Nantucket whaler Essex, 2,000 miles west of Ecuador. Owen Chase, her first mate, and 29 other men took to the boats; eight eventually survived. Herman Melville's debt to Chase's Narrative (1821) has been known since Moby Dick appeared, but little has been known about Chase and the survival of the crew . . . Heffernan's study belongs on the shelf of every Melville scholar and anyone interested in an exciting tale."—Choice