Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex: The Complete Illustrated Edition: The Extraordinary and Distressing Memoir That Inspired Herman Melville's Moby-Dick - Hardcover

Owen Chase was first mate of the whale ship Essex, which was struck and sunk by a sperm whale on November 20, 1820. Chase wrote about the incident in Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex. This book, published in 1821, inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick.

Gilbert Anthony King is an American writer and photographer who won the Pulitzer Prize for his book, Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America (2012). He is also the author of The Execution of Willie Francis: Race, Murder, and the Search for Justice in the American South and has written for newspaper such as The New York Times and The Washington Post.

"His narrative comes to life in this new, illustrated version, filled with more than 200 photographs, maps, fine-art prints and drawings." - Boston Globe

"His narrative comes to life in this new, illustrated version, filled with more than 200 photographs, maps, fine-art prints and drawings."

"This is a handsome volume, of which Chase would have been proud, and Melville would have acclaimed for its vivid illustrations that make realistic the long gone fishery he described. It stands on its own merit as a beautiful book to tell Chase's tale again, and bring back visual reminders of a sea trade that changed the world (and literature), and is now gone forever." - Columbus Dispatch

"If you enjoy tales of the sea as much as I do, you'll find this revamped edition of Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex an excellent addition to your library." - Passage Maker

"If you enjoy tales of the sea as much as I do, you'll find this revamped edition of Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex an excellent addition to your library."

"This is a handsome volume, of which Chase would have been proud, and Melville would have acclaimed for its vivid illustrations that make realistic the long gone fishery he described. It stands on its own merit as a beautiful book to tell Chase's tale again, and bring back visual reminders of a sea trade that changed the world (and literature), and is now gone forever."

"This newly published version of Chase's story includes an introduction by Gilbert King, who outlines the story with broad brushstrokes as a harrowing tale on the water.The book is filled with fascinating details, from marine biology lessons to sailing history and survival by cannibalism, and the author's voice is authoritative and unapologetic. (Gilbert) King's additions to his tale are a fitting tribute."