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Owen Chase (1798 - 1869) of Nantucket sought a traditional career as a whaling captain. However, at age 22, while serving as first mate of the Essex, his ship was sunk in a horrific, unprecedented attack by a sperm whale. Chase's short account of the attack (thought by some to be ghost-written) captivated the nation and inspired Melville, forming the basis of Moby Dick.
Books by Owen Chase on Riapress.com
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By: Owen Chase
The true story that inspired Melville's Moby Dick, sensational in its time and still a mortal tale of the sea.
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Related Books on Riapress.com
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By: Herman Melville
Ishmael signs onto the whaler Pequod, led by Ahab, who turns the voyage into an obsessive quest for revenge against the whale who took his leg.
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By: William Bligh
Muntineers interrupt a breadfruit voyage, in a classic true tale of temptation, seamanship, and leadership.
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Author Web Sites of Interest
Owen Chase websites of interest:
Nantucket Historical Association
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Nantucket Atheneum
Sperm whale info
PBS page on the Essex
Author Bibliography
Short Owen Chase bibliography:
Nathaniel Philbrick, In the Heart of the Sea. 2001.
Thomas F. Heffernan, Stove by a Whale. 1981.
Herman Melville, Moby Dick. 1851.
Richard Ellis, The Book of Whales. 1985.
Paul Schneider, The Enduring Shore: A Hisory of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. 2000.
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