Leviathan – The History of Whaling in America - Hardcover

Dolin, Eric Jay

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393060578 ISBN 13: 9780393060577

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007

Synopsis

Few things can capture the danger and desperation of men at sea as dramatically as whaling. Eric Jay Dolin begins with Captain John Smith's expedition to the New World in 1614. He chronicles the rise of a burgeoning industry, to its golden age when a fleet of more than 700 ships hunted the seas and its decline as the twentieth century dawned. This sweeping social and economic history provides rich accounts of the whalers and contains a wealth of detail on whales.

About this title

Review:

"A pleasantly anecdotal history of American whaling so comprehensive that he seems to have harpooned at least one fact from every cetacean text ever printed. Leviathan is a gentle book about a brutal industry." -- The New Yorker

"Dolin compellingly examines whaling's importance to America's early growth and wealth . . . A densely researched and comprehensive portrait, enhanced by fascinating archival paintings and photos."
-- Kirkus Reviews

About the Author:

Eric Jay Dolin is the best-selling author of Leviathan and Brilliant Beacons. He and his family live in Marblehead, Massachusetts, from which the pirate John Quelch departed in 1703, and returned to in 1704, only to be hanged in Boston.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0393060578
• ISBN 13: 9780393060577
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 512