In the Heart of the Sea
The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
by Nathaniel Philbrick · first published 2000
87% recommend13% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Gripping narrative nonfiction on the whaleship Essex, sunk by a sperm whale, the true story behind Moby Dick. Shorter and more readable than Melville, with Nantucket whaling culture; suits history and survival fans.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In 1819, the 238-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage to hunt whales. Fifteen months later, the Essex was rammed and sunk by an enraged sperm whale.
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…Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick My 5 favorite ones from that list are In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick Elon Musk: Tesla,…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗also, Philbrick's "In the heart of the sea", about to be released as a movie on Dec 11, is an excellent read and an amazing story
on “How Nantucket Came to Be the Whaling Capital of the World” ↗The book "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick is great, BTW.
on “How automatic transmission almost made sperm whales extinct” ↗In the Heart of the Sea: The Tradgedy of the Whaleship Essex, often called the non-fiction version of Moby Dick. It's a brilliant, engrossing read > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17780.In_the_Heart_of_the...
on “Ask HN: What is HN reading?” ↗My 5 favorite ones I read this year In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara…
on “Ask HN: Best Book you read in 2015” ↗If you're interested in the true story that inspired Moby Dick, read In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. It's the story of the Nantucket whaleship Essex that was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale.
on “Your Novel Should Be More Like Moby-Dick” ↗Also, In The Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. It is a non-fiction account of the wreck of the Essex, a Nantucket whaler, that was inexplicably "stove by a whale", and lost at sea - an unheard…
on “Blue whale skeleton at New Bedford museum still oozing oil” ↗In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. Story of the survivors of a sunken whale ship after a sperm whale attack. A source of inspiration for Moby Dick.
on “Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things” ↗The Poincaré Conjecture by Donal O'Shea In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
on “Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things” ↗I heartily recommend "In The Heart Of The Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" if anyone is interested in learning more about Nantucket whaling. It is a captivating true story that talks about the characters and culture involved in the whaling…
on “The Art of Whaling: Illustrations from the Logbooks of Nantucket Whaleships” ↗He also wrote In The Heart of the Sea which is an incredible read about an ill fated crew sailing out of Nantucket.
on “How Nantucket Came to Be the Whaling Capital of the World” ↗If you're looking for something shorter and more readable about whaling, I'd recommend In the Heart of the Sea. The (nonfiction) story told there was used by Melville as inspiration for Moby Dick. Unlike Moby Dick, that was a book I could not put down, but my brain is also the size of a peanut.
on “Original 1851 reviews of Moby-Dick” ↗Great tip. I hadn't heard of that museum and will have to check it out. If anyone else is interested in whaling, particularly Nantucket's past sperm whale industry, "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" is a great read.
on “A Whale-Oiled Machine” ↗According to Kindle I read 24 books. The best were: - The Eagle and the Hart, on Richard II and Henry IV - In the Heart of the Sea, on a whale ship disaster that inspired moby dick - The Siege, on a hostage taking at the Iranian embassy in London Love narrative nonfiction.
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗You might be interested in the story of the whaling ship Essex which was sunk by a Sperm whale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_(whaleship)
on “Pelorus Jack” ↗