Why read Etchings of a Whaling Cruise?

Book cover of Etchings of a Whaling Cruise

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references,…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Etchings of a Whaling Cruise as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Eric Jay Dolin

Author

J. Ross Browne experienced first-hand whaling in the early-to-mid 1800s, serving as a crewman on a Yankee whaler. His vivid account of life on board, and the gruesome business of whaling, is beautifully written, enlightening, and dramatic. In his review of the book, Melville said, “It is a book of unvarnished facts … [which] unquestionably presents a faithful picture of the life led by the twenty thousand seamen employed in the seven hundred vessels which now pursue their game under the American flag.” So impressed was Melville that he used Browne’s book as one of his primary sources while writing …

From Eric's list on The best books on whaling history.