Primary Format: Paper | |
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ISBN: | 9781611689075 |
Published: | 04/12/2016 |
Pages: | 240 |
Size: | 6 x 9 in. |
Subject(s): | History |
Surviving the Essex: The Afterlife of America's Most Storied Shipwreck
David O. Dowling
E-book: $21.99Paper: $19.95
As many readers know, Moby-Dick was inspired by the shipwreck of the whaling ship Essex in 1820. As David O. Dowling discusses in Surviving the Essex, the wreck of the Essex was an early example of prurient tabloid scandal, capturing the imagination of readers eager, then as now, for stories of heroism and villainy in the face of moral dilemmas.
—The Washington Post
Die-hard fans who cannot get enough of the Essex tragedy are the best audience for this book and the readers most likely to appreciate its various insights.
—New England Quarterly
The best parts of this book reveal the stories behind the publication and promotion of the Essex narratives. . . Dowling tells a great story here, placing Nickerson’s authorship, as he does Chase’s, in the context of market-driven literary production.
—Leviathan: A Journal of Melville Studies
With glistening prose and a detective’s eye for detail and acts of deception, David Dowling investigates one of the most famous and harrowing events in maritime history. By carefully dissecting contending narratives of the sinking of the Essex, Dowling illuminates issues diverse and fascinating: cannibalism, ghostwriting, the literary marketplace, reputations, and even the culpability of the whale in sinking the ship.
—George Cotkin, author of Dive Deeper: Journeys with Moby-Dick
DAVID O. DOWLING is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Iowa. He has written numerous books on the intersection of business and literature.