The Essex: The True Story of Moby Dick

Presented on the History Channel as part of the History's Mysteries series, this captivating tale tells the true story of the genesis of one of the most famous American novels, Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Melville was a whaler when he met a man who showed him a very remarkable document: an account of a ship being attacked by a sperm whale. In August of 1819, the Nantucket whaler Essex set sail, first for the Azores, and then for the more fertile seas of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America. On November 20, 1820, in one of the most unusual events in whaling history, a sperm whale rammed into the Essex, forcing the crew into three small boats ill-equipped for the terrible ordeal that awaited them. As food and water supplies dwindled, the survivors were faced with the awful decision of maintaining their strength by eating the bodies of those who died. The Essex: The True Story of Moby Dick graphically depicts through drawings and re-enactments the awful events that occurred during the months before the eight men (out of 20) were rescued. The story of the fate of the Essex was written by its first mate and it was that nightmarish tale that eventually was transfigured into Herman Melville's classic. Sure to be popular, especially in the wake of Nathaniel Philbricks' National Book Award winning In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Carlson)