IEWS In the H eart of th e Sea: T h e Tragedy of
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the recently di scovered recollections of th e Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Thomas Nickerson , the young whaleman Philbrick (Viking, New York NY, 2000, who survived the ordeal. This acco unt cor287pp, notes, biblio, !SB 0-670-89 157- roborates the previously published narra6; $24.95 hc) tive of mate Owen Chase. Each narrative is The loss of the Nantucket whaleship used to substantiate the horror of the tale. Essex in 1820 has been justifiably linked Philbrick's book will certainly endure as with the dramatic conclusion ofMo by D ick. one of the most readable and compelling Two decades after the event, Herman about the loss of the Essex. Melville read an account about the Essex RENNY A. STACKPOLE written by survivor Owen Chase. M elville Director, Penobscot Marine Museum was serving as a foremast hand on the New Searsport, Maine Bedford whaleshi p Acushnet near the eq uator, where the disaster had taken place. Legacy of Leadership: Lessons from AdMelville wrote that reading the story so m iral Lord Nelson, by Joseph F. C allo close to the latitude of the shipwreck "had (Hell gate Press, Central Point OR, 1999, a surprisi ng effect on me. " 136pp, illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 1For years, Nantucker residents avoided 55571-510-9; $ 17.95) Admiral Callo sails in Nelson 's wake to mention of the Essex, especially during the palmy days of its whaling prosperiry. In identi fy " the elusive qualities ofleadership modern times, maritime historians, writers that manifes t th emselves in co mbat, " as of fi ction and poets have all endeavored to Admiral Metcalfe observes in a perceptive sou nd the depths of this saga about a sperm forward to this incisive study. Elusive as whale deliberately attacking a seemingly those qualities may be, one of their vital stout 87-foot, three-masted ship in the ingredients is the abiliry to take a lot of midst of the vast Pacific Ocean. How the punishment while still functioning at the shipmaster and his officers arrived at their top, or n ear the top, of one's form. eventual course fo r possible rescue is a part Nelson possessed that transcendent of the saga, yet at the center of the story is qualiry in abundance, as Callo makes clea r the enorm o us suffering of her crew: in tracki ng his decision-making through whalemen, facing the longest open-boat fair weather and foul. Without that rugged voyage ever reco rded during the peak years undergirding of a slight body and delicate of American whaling in the So uth Seas. mind, in fact, we might never have heard of Nathaniel Philbrick, directoro f the Egan Nelson, arguably the most famous admiral Institute of Maritime Studies on Nan- of all history. Somethin g pulled him tucket, has written a masterful vo lum e that through the dep ression rhat assail ed him treats the myths and realities of the Essex after his serious wounding and defeat at tragedy wi th great skill and erudition. As a Santa C ruz, which left him crippled and, as research scholar at the Nantucket Histori- he despairingly observed , "useless to his cal Associarion, Philbrick has used existing country." When N elso n wrote these words primary sources of the Historical Associa- he had still before him the battles in which, tion, the scholarship of key Nantucket in Calla 's memorable phrase, he was "to historians, and his own extensive under- change history from the decks ofhis ships. " Those who have followed the author's standing of earl y Nantucket history. I n the H eart of the Sea is also strengthened by articl es in Sea H istory will find this book extensive end notes. O verall, the book is a rewarding reading, for in pull ing together splendid compendium of Nantucket folk- his detailed studi es of Nelson's career he ways, sea language that came as hore (and has given us a whole, rounded picture of became peculiar to the locals), Quaker the man-including his relationship with influences, the craft and business of whal- Lady Hamilton, which Callo wisely treats ing, cetology, navigation , and the over- as an integral part of the hero's story, rather arching story of the officers and crew of the than an inconvenient add-on . Essex. As with most classic stories, it is Nelson the man thought and acted pasalmost impossible to put aside. From chap- sionately. H e was passionate in his feelings ter to chapter, the book is as seamless as the for British freedom and his contempt for ocean itself. Napoleo n 's dictatorship , in his concern for At its center is the author's ca reful use of the long-suffering British seamen, his exSEA\ HJSTOR Y 93, SUMMER 2000