Stove by a Whale: Owen Chase and the Essex

Rating:
Summary: The Inspiration for Moby-Dick
Review: This excellent book contains about the completest history of the sinking of the Essex by a whale in 1820, which provided Melville the idea for his climax in the novel. Not only does it contain all the information known on the Essex's crewmen, but it also contains, unabridged, Chase's Narrative, along with the accounts of the survivors and their rescuers, plus Melville's marginalia in his copy of Chase's Narrative. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the Essex, 19th century whalers, or Herman Melville.