Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex

DON'T MISS THE MAJOR FILM INSPIRED BY CHASE'S NARRATIVE, IN THE HEART OF THE SEA

On 20 November 1820, just south of the equator, the whaling ship Essex, spotted and pursued a shoal of sperm whales. As the crew started harpooning, the largest whale - some 85 feet long - rammed the Essex twice and 'stove in her bows'. What followed was an epic three-month voyage in open boats across storm-tossed seas. Only eight men survived, sustained by eating those who died.

This edition includes Owen Chases's famous account, as well as memoirs by two other crew members and a facsimile of Herman Melville's notes on Chase's narrative.