Stove by a Whale

"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