In the Heart of the Sea

2000 book by Nathaniel Philbrick

For the film adaptation, see In the Heart of the Sea (film).

In the Heart of the Sea

Hardcover edition

Author| Nathaniel Philbrick
Language| English
Subject| New England, whaling
Genre| History
Publisher| Viking Press

Publication date

| May 8, 2000
Publication place| United States
Media type| Print, e-book
Pages| 320 pp.
ISBN| 0-670-89157-6
OCLC| 608132810
The Essex struck by a whale, a sketch by Thomas Nickerson

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex is a book by American writer Nathaniel Philbrick about the loss of the whaler Essex in the Pacific Ocean in 1820. The book was published by Viking Press on May 8, 2000, and won the 2000 National Book Award for Nonfiction. It was adapted into a film of the same name, which was released in December 2015.

## Summary

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The Essex, an American whaleship from Nantucket, Massachusetts, sank after a sperm whale attacked it in the Pacific Ocean in November 1820. Having lost their ship, the crew of the Essex attempted to sail to South America in whaleboats. After suffering from starvation and dehydration, most of the crew died before the survivors were rescued in February 1821.

In retelling the story of the crew's ordeal, Philbrick uses an account written by Thomas Nickerson, who was a teenage cabin boy on board the Essex and wrote about the experience in his old age; Nickerson's account was found in 1960 but was not authenticated until 1980. In 1984, an abridged version of his account was finally published. The book also uses the better known account of Owen Chase, the ship's first mate, which was published soon after the ordeal.[1]

## Reception

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In the Heart of the Sea won the 2000 U.S. National Book Award for Nonfiction.[2]

## Film adaptation

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The story was adapted into a feature film by director Ron Howard, starring Chris Hemsworth, Ben Whishaw, and Cillian Murphy.[3] Advertising for the film points out that the historical story inspired the Moby Dick mythology.[4]

## See also

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* Ann Alexander, a ship sunk by a whale on August 20, 1851

## References

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1. ^ Philbrick, Nathaniel (2001). In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. Penguin Books. pp. xiv–xv. ISBN 0-14-100182-8.
2. ^ "National Book Awards – 2000". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
3. ^ Browne, Julie (29 October 2013). "Cillian Murphy's 'Peaky Blinders' Renewed for a Second Season". The Irish Film & Television Network.
4. ^ "In the Heart of the Sea - Final Trailer [HD]". Warner Bros. Pictures & Youtube.com. 1 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 6 November 2015. "In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. But that told only half the story."

## External links

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* In the Heart of the Sea \- Official Teaser Trailer on YouTube
* Presentation by Philbrick on In the Heart of the Sea, June 23, 2000, C-SPAN
* Presentation by Philbrick on In the Heart of the Sea, May 8, 2001, C-SPAN

* v
* t
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Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851)

Characters|

* Moby Dick
* Captain Ahab
* Ishmael
* Queequeg
* Father Mapple
* Bulkington
* Pip

Ships|

* Pequod

Chapters and
special subjects|

* Cetology
* Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish

Adaptations|

| Film|

* The Sea Beast (1926)
* Moby Dick (1930)
* Moby Dick (1956)
* Moby Dick (1971; unfinished)
* Moby Dick (1978)
* Moby Dick (2010)

|

Television|

* Moby Dick (1954)
* Moby Dick - Rehearsed (1965)
* Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick (1997)
* Moby Dick (1998)
* Moby Dick (2011)

Stage|

* Moby Dick—Rehearsed (1955)
* Moby Dick (1990 musical)
* Moby-Dick (2010 opera)
* Moby-Dick (2019 musical)

Other|

* Age of the Dragons
* The Call of the Wretched Sea
* Capitaine Achab
* Dopey Dick the Pink Whale
* Dicky Moe
* Leviathan
* "Möbius Dick"
* Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor
* Railsea

Related|

* Moby Dick Coin
* Mocha Dick
* Essex (whaleship)
* Green Shadows, White Whale
* The Whale (TV film)
* In the Heart of the Sea (book)
* In the Heart of the Sea (film)

*[OCLC]: Online Computer Library Center number
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