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Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America
Leviathan selected as one of the best nonfiction books of 2007 by The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and The Providence Journal. Leviathan was also chosen by Amazon.com's editors as one of the 10 best history books of 2007.
"To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme," proclaimed Herman Melville, and the vivid story of whaling is one of the mightiest themes in American history. Indeed, much of America's culture, economy, and even its spirit were literally and figuratively rendered from the bodies of whales. In Leviathan, the first one-volume history of American whaling in many decades, historian Eric Jay Dolin chronicles the epic battle between man and the sea — and, in this case, between man and beast — an often-violent struggle that animates the imagination and stirs our emotions. Beginning his engrossing narrative with Captain John Smith's botched whaling expedition to the New World in 1614, Dolin traces the rise of this burgeoning industry-from its rapid expansion in the colonial era and its brutal struggles during and after the Revolutionary War, to its Golden Age in the mid-1800s, when more than 60 ports got into the whaling business and the sails of America's whaleships whitened the seven seas. American whale oil lit the world and greased the gears of the industrial revolution. Baleen cut from the mouths of whales shaped the course of feminine fashion. Spermaceti, from sperm whales, produced amazingly brilliant and clean-burning candles, while ambergris gave perfumes great staying power and was worth its weight in gold. And the profits from whaling created great fortunes and helped fuel the nation's growth. Leviathan teems with fascinating vignettes, from the Pilgrims' frustrating encounters with whales, to the Candle Wars that pitted eighteenth-century New England Industrialists against each other, to the heroic cruise of Captain David Porter and the USS Essex, in which Porter and his men valiantly protected American whaleships during the War of 1812 until they themselves were captured by the British. Then there is the violent tale of Cyrus Plumer, a notorious troublemaker whose mutiny on the whaleship Junior is thrillingly retold. Among the most amazing accounts is that of the Shenandoah, a Confederate raider, which burned 22 of the 26 Union whaleships it captured, most after the Civil War had already ended. In the waning years of the nineteenth century, we witness the agonizingly slow death of an American industry, as the discovery of oil, tragic disasters in the Arctic, and changes in female fashion combine to transform the American whalemen into an historical relic. The final scene comes in 1924, as the whaleship Wanderer, wrecked on the shore of Cuttyhunk Island, provides the last glimpse of a bygone era. Through it all, those "iron men in wooden boats" created a legacy of dramatic, poignant, and at times horrific stories. This sprawling, maritime saga is filled with these tales, as well as rich, lyrical descriptions of whales and the sea. Original, stirring, and authoritative, Leviathan delivers the 300-year history of American whaling in vibrant detail, integrating literary, social, and economic history into an epic account of this once-vital industry.
(W. W. Norton, 480 pp., 90 illustrations. Also available in Audiobook format from Tantor Audiobooks.)
"To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme," proclaimed Herman Melville, and the vivid story of whaling is one of the mightiest themes in American history. Indeed, much of America's culture, economy, and even its spirit were literally and figuratively rendered from the bodies of whales. In Leviathan, the first one-volume history of American whaling in many decades, historian Eric Jay Dolin chronicles the epic battle between man and the sea — and, in this case, between man and beast — an often-violent struggle that animates the imagination and stirs our emotions. Beginning his engrossing narrative with Captain John Smith's botched whaling expedition to the New World in 1614, Dolin traces the rise of this burgeoning industry-from its rapid expansion in the colonial era and its brutal struggles during and after the Revolutionary War, to its Golden Age in the mid-1800s, when more than 60 ports got into the whaling business and the sails of America's whaleships whitened the seven seas. American whale oil lit the world and greased the gears of the industrial revolution. Baleen cut from the mouths of whales shaped the course of feminine fashion. Spermaceti, from sperm whales, produced amazingly brilliant and clean-burning candles, while ambergris gave perfumes great staying power and was worth its weight in gold. And the profits from whaling created great fortunes and helped fuel the nation's growth. Leviathan teems with fascinating vignettes, from the Pilgrims' frustrating encounters with whales, to the Candle Wars that pitted eighteenth-century New England Industrialists against each other, to the heroic cruise of Captain David Porter and the USS Essex, in which Porter and his men valiantly protected American whaleships during the War of 1812 until they themselves were captured by the British. Then there is the violent tale of Cyrus Plumer, a notorious troublemaker whose mutiny on the whaleship Junior is thrillingly retold. Among the most amazing accounts is that of the Shenandoah, a Confederate raider, which burned 22 of the 26 Union whaleships it captured, most after the Civil War had already ended. In the waning years of the nineteenth century, we witness the agonizingly slow death of an American industry, as the discovery of oil, tragic disasters in the Arctic, and changes in female fashion combine to transform the American whalemen into an historical relic. The final scene comes in 1924, as the whaleship Wanderer, wrecked on the shore of Cuttyhunk Island, provides the last glimpse of a bygone era. Through it all, those "iron men in wooden boats" created a legacy of dramatic, poignant, and at times horrific stories. This sprawling, maritime saga is filled with these tales, as well as rich, lyrical descriptions of whales and the sea. Original, stirring, and authoritative, Leviathan delivers the 300-year history of American whaling in vibrant detail, integrating literary, social, and economic history into an epic account of this once-vital industry.
(W. W. Norton, 480 pp., 90 illustrations. Also available in Audiobook format from Tantor Audiobooks.)
479 pages, Hardcover
First published July 2, 2007
243 people are currently reading
3736 people want to read
About the author
Eric Jay Dolin
19 books465 followersI grew up near the coasts of New York and Connecticut, and since an early age I was fascinated by the natural world, especially the ocean. I spent many days wandering the beaches on the edge of Long Island Sound and the Atlantic, collecting seashells and exploring tidepools. When I left for college I wanted to become a marine biologist or more specifically a malacologist (seashell scientist). At Brown University I quickly realized that although I loved learning about science, I wasn't cut out for a career in science, mainly because I wasn't very good in the lab, and I didn't particularly enjoy reading or writing scientific research papers. So, after taking a year off and exploring a range of career options, I shifted course turning toward the field of environmental policy, first earning a double-major in biology and environmental studies, then getting a masters degree in environmental management from Yale, and a Ph.D. in environmental policy and planning from MIT, where my dissertation focused on the role of the courts in the cleanup of Boston Harbor.
I have held a variety of jobs, including stints as a fisheries policy analyst at the National Marine Fisheries Service, a program manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an environmental consultant stateside and in London, an American Association for the Advancement of Science writing fellow at Business Week, a curatorial assistant in the Mollusk Department at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, and an intern at the National Wildlife Federation, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, and the U.S. Senate.
Throughout my career, one thing remained constant--I enjoyed writing and telling stories. And that's why I started writing books--to share the stories that I find most intriguing (I have also published more than 60 articles for magazines, newspapers, and professional journals). My most recent books include:
***A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes (Liveright, 2020), which was chosen by:
The Washington Post -- One of 50 Notable works of Nonfiction for 2020
Library Journal -- One of the Best Science & Technology Books of 2020
Kirkus Reviews -- One of the top 100 nonfiction books of 2020 (it was also a finalist for the Kirkus Prize)
Booklist -- 10 Top Sci-Tech Books of 2020
Amazon.com -- One of the Best Science Books of 2020
And also was an Editor's Choice by the New York Times Book Review.
New York Times -- Editor's Choice
***Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates (Liveright, 2018), which was chosen as a "Must-Read" book for 2019 by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, and was a finalist for the 2019 Julia Ward Howe Award given by the Boston Author's Club.
***Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse (Liveright, 2016), which was chosen by gCaptain and Classic Boat as one of the best nautical books of 2016.
***When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail (Liveright, September 2012), which was chosen by Kirkus Reviews as one of the ten best non-fiction books of Fall 2012.
***Fur, Fortune, and Empire: the Epic History of the Fur Trade in America (W. W. Norton, 2010), a national bestseller, which was chosen by New West, The Seattle Times, and The Rocky Mountain Land Library as one of the top non-fiction books of 2010. It also won the 2011 James P. Hanlan Book Award, given by the New England Historical Association, and was awarded first place in the Outdoor Writers Association of America, Excellence in Craft Contest.
***Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America (W. W. Norton, 2007), which was selected as one of the best nonfiction books of 2007 by The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and The Providence Journal. Leviathan was also chosen by Amazon.com's editors as one of the 10 best history books of 2007. Leviathan garnered the the 23rd annual (2007) L. Byrne Waterman
I have held a variety of jobs, including stints as a fisheries policy analyst at the National Marine Fisheries Service, a program manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an environmental consultant stateside and in London, an American Association for the Advancement of Science writing fellow at Business Week, a curatorial assistant in the Mollusk Department at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, and an intern at the National Wildlife Federation, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, and the U.S. Senate.
Throughout my career, one thing remained constant--I enjoyed writing and telling stories. And that's why I started writing books--to share the stories that I find most intriguing (I have also published more than 60 articles for magazines, newspapers, and professional journals). My most recent books include:
***A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes (Liveright, 2020), which was chosen by:
The Washington Post -- One of 50 Notable works of Nonfiction for 2020
Library Journal -- One of the Best Science & Technology Books of 2020
Kirkus Reviews -- One of the top 100 nonfiction books of 2020 (it was also a finalist for the Kirkus Prize)
Booklist -- 10 Top Sci-Tech Books of 2020
Amazon.com -- One of the Best Science Books of 2020
And also was an Editor's Choice by the New York Times Book Review.
New York Times -- Editor's Choice
***Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates (Liveright, 2018), which was chosen as a "Must-Read" book for 2019 by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, and was a finalist for the 2019 Julia Ward Howe Award given by the Boston Author's Club.
***Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse (Liveright, 2016), which was chosen by gCaptain and Classic Boat as one of the best nautical books of 2016.
***When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail (Liveright, September 2012), which was chosen by Kirkus Reviews as one of the ten best non-fiction books of Fall 2012.
***Fur, Fortune, and Empire: the Epic History of the Fur Trade in America (W. W. Norton, 2010), a national bestseller, which was chosen by New West, The Seattle Times, and The Rocky Mountain Land Library as one of the top non-fiction books of 2010. It also won the 2011 James P. Hanlan Book Award, given by the New England Historical Association, and was awarded first place in the Outdoor Writers Association of America, Excellence in Craft Contest.
***Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America (W. W. Norton, 2007), which was selected as one of the best nonfiction books of 2007 by The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and The Providence Journal. Leviathan was also chosen by Amazon.com's editors as one of the 10 best history books of 2007. Leviathan garnered the the 23rd annual (2007) L. Byrne Waterman
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March 25, 2022
“Thousands of American ships manned by tens of thousands of men killed hundreds of thousands of whales, which were processed into products and profits that in turn created great fortunes and spurred the formation and growth of the nation… American whale oil lit the world. It was used in the production of soap, textiles, leather, paints, and varnishes, and it lubricated the tools and machines that drove the Industrial Revolution. The baleen cut from the mouths of whales shaped the course of feminine fashion by putting the hoop in hooped skirts and giving form to stomach-tightening and chest-crushing corsets. Spermaceti, the waxy substance from the heads of sperm whales, produced the brightest-and-cleanest-burning candles the world has ever known, while ambergris, a byproduct of irrigation in a sperm whale’s bowel, gave perfumes great staying power and was worth its weight in gold… The heroic and often tragic stories of American whalemen were renowned. They sailed the world’s oceans and brought back tales filled with bravery, perseverance, and survival. They mutinied, murdered, rioted, deserted, drank, sang, spun yarns, scrimshawed, and recorded their musings and observations in journals and letters… ‘To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme,’ proclaimed Herman Melville, and the epic story of whaling is one of the mightiest themes in American history…”
- Eric Jay Dolin, Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America
Shortly after graduating law school and starting my first job, I decided to pick up Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, often proclaimed the premiere novel in American history. It might seem odd – after twenty straight years of school – to celebrate my academic independence with a massive tome written in the Old Testament style, but I thought it a sign of my delayed entrance into adulthood. After so much time spent skimming textbooks and searching for online summaries of classic novels, I was going to read one on my own volition, for the sake of nothing other than my intellectual betterment.
Well, I ended up hating the damn thing from just about the second page onward. It became a chore. The only way I got through it was to force myself to read twenty pages a day at lunch, thereby ruining my midday meal and gaining me an office reputation as the weirdo reading Melville at his desk.
When I finally finished, I swore off Melville for all eternity.
Of whales, though, I maintained an interest.
***
I’m still surprised at how much I disliked Moby Dick, given how much I theoretically appreciated its component parts. Among the things I love in life are ships, oceans, vengeful animals, men under duress, and sea stories. Thus, when Eric Jay Dolin's Leviathan came around, I picked it up with a bit of eagerness. Having finished, I would say that my fondest hopes were not entirely met, but this was a heck of a lot better than hanging out with Ishmael, Starbuck, and Stub for many hundreds of pages.
***
Leviathan takes a chronological approach to its sweeping subject, starting in the 1600s and ending in 1924. The material is divided into three big sections, detailing American whaling’s rise, apogee, and descent.
Dolin is an engaging writer, and he is an explainer, so that there are tons of interesting factoids and stories with which to wow your spouse, friends, kids, or the guy at the end of the bar. He shows himself at ease tackling subjects as varied as whale biology (with a side-focus on whale penises), types of harpoons, industry economics, and the gory, step-by-step processing of captured whales. There are even annotated endnotes, if you want deeper discussions.
The book's scope encompasses many decades. However, because whaling is an industry, rather than a single historical event – or even a series of historical events – the nature of Leviathan is rather anecdotal. Though each time period is discrete and unique in terms of economic climate (whalers did well in peace, and poor in war) and utilized technologies, the template is always the same: dozens of stories stitched together with background information. There are stories about successful hunts, and unsuccessful hunts; there are stories about rampaging whales and shipwrecks; there are ships stuck in the ice and mutinies at sea. It turns out that a lot can go wrong when you hop in a ship and go chasing after some of the largest creatures on earth.
Though it’s a personal preference, I've always kind of liked anecdotal books. But as Steve Martin reminds us in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: “You know, everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate.” There is a certain hit-and-miss quality here. When the stories land flat, or seem off topic, things drag. When the stories are crisp, exciting, on-point, and involve mutineers taking their whaleboats and attempting to escape into the Australian Outback, the pages just fly.
At the risk of belaboring the point, I’ll give just one example. During the chapter on whaling during the Civil War, Dolan focuses entirely on two Confederate raiders wreaking havoc on the American whaling fleet. For me, this was a low-key yawn that I thought took a valid point – the damage done to the whaling fleet – and used it as an excuse for some gratuitous naval warfare that is told, oddly enough, from the point of view of the Confederates. Others, though, might find this the most exciting and edifying stretch of Leviathan.
***
A book like Leviathan always runs the risk of overselling itself. Initially, I thought Dolan would do just that, giving whaling a preeminence in American history that it probably does not deserve. Fortunately, he mostly avoids pegging the rise of the United States to the fortunes of a single, aggressively unique area of commerce. Rather than making an argument or proving a thesis, Dolan sticks to the vicarious, exciting, man-against-nature aspects, rather than trying to convince me that stabbing whales to drain them of their precious oils was the hinge of human events.
***
One of the big surprises in Leviathan is what it does not include. Not only does he ignore the controversies of modern whaling – which is admittedly outside his established scope – but Dolan also refuses any critical analysis of yesteryear. It seems there is something to be said, some connection to be drawn to the present day, about the use of poorly-paid whalemen risking their very lives at the behest of giant corporate trusts who practically denuded the seas of an entire species in order to reap a fantastic profit. Dolan, though, does not venture into that territory.
***
There are times when I have thought about returning to Moby Dick, to give it another chance. Ultimately, though, life is too short to force myself to endure something I really hated the first go-round. Even if I end up liking it, rather than despising the soul of its existence, it’s a waste of precious reading time. To that end, Leviathan is a good substitute, giving you the substance of Melville’s opus in about half the space and none of the obscure references.
- Eric Jay Dolin, Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America
Shortly after graduating law school and starting my first job, I decided to pick up Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, often proclaimed the premiere novel in American history. It might seem odd – after twenty straight years of school – to celebrate my academic independence with a massive tome written in the Old Testament style, but I thought it a sign of my delayed entrance into adulthood. After so much time spent skimming textbooks and searching for online summaries of classic novels, I was going to read one on my own volition, for the sake of nothing other than my intellectual betterment.
Well, I ended up hating the damn thing from just about the second page onward. It became a chore. The only way I got through it was to force myself to read twenty pages a day at lunch, thereby ruining my midday meal and gaining me an office reputation as the weirdo reading Melville at his desk.
When I finally finished, I swore off Melville for all eternity.
Of whales, though, I maintained an interest.
***
I’m still surprised at how much I disliked Moby Dick, given how much I theoretically appreciated its component parts. Among the things I love in life are ships, oceans, vengeful animals, men under duress, and sea stories. Thus, when Eric Jay Dolin's Leviathan came around, I picked it up with a bit of eagerness. Having finished, I would say that my fondest hopes were not entirely met, but this was a heck of a lot better than hanging out with Ishmael, Starbuck, and Stub for many hundreds of pages.
***
Leviathan takes a chronological approach to its sweeping subject, starting in the 1600s and ending in 1924. The material is divided into three big sections, detailing American whaling’s rise, apogee, and descent.
Dolin is an engaging writer, and he is an explainer, so that there are tons of interesting factoids and stories with which to wow your spouse, friends, kids, or the guy at the end of the bar. He shows himself at ease tackling subjects as varied as whale biology (with a side-focus on whale penises), types of harpoons, industry economics, and the gory, step-by-step processing of captured whales. There are even annotated endnotes, if you want deeper discussions.
The book's scope encompasses many decades. However, because whaling is an industry, rather than a single historical event – or even a series of historical events – the nature of Leviathan is rather anecdotal. Though each time period is discrete and unique in terms of economic climate (whalers did well in peace, and poor in war) and utilized technologies, the template is always the same: dozens of stories stitched together with background information. There are stories about successful hunts, and unsuccessful hunts; there are stories about rampaging whales and shipwrecks; there are ships stuck in the ice and mutinies at sea. It turns out that a lot can go wrong when you hop in a ship and go chasing after some of the largest creatures on earth.
Though it’s a personal preference, I've always kind of liked anecdotal books. But as Steve Martin reminds us in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: “You know, everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate.” There is a certain hit-and-miss quality here. When the stories land flat, or seem off topic, things drag. When the stories are crisp, exciting, on-point, and involve mutineers taking their whaleboats and attempting to escape into the Australian Outback, the pages just fly.
At the risk of belaboring the point, I’ll give just one example. During the chapter on whaling during the Civil War, Dolan focuses entirely on two Confederate raiders wreaking havoc on the American whaling fleet. For me, this was a low-key yawn that I thought took a valid point – the damage done to the whaling fleet – and used it as an excuse for some gratuitous naval warfare that is told, oddly enough, from the point of view of the Confederates. Others, though, might find this the most exciting and edifying stretch of Leviathan.
***
A book like Leviathan always runs the risk of overselling itself. Initially, I thought Dolan would do just that, giving whaling a preeminence in American history that it probably does not deserve. Fortunately, he mostly avoids pegging the rise of the United States to the fortunes of a single, aggressively unique area of commerce. Rather than making an argument or proving a thesis, Dolan sticks to the vicarious, exciting, man-against-nature aspects, rather than trying to convince me that stabbing whales to drain them of their precious oils was the hinge of human events.
***
One of the big surprises in Leviathan is what it does not include. Not only does he ignore the controversies of modern whaling – which is admittedly outside his established scope – but Dolan also refuses any critical analysis of yesteryear. It seems there is something to be said, some connection to be drawn to the present day, about the use of poorly-paid whalemen risking their very lives at the behest of giant corporate trusts who practically denuded the seas of an entire species in order to reap a fantastic profit. Dolan, though, does not venture into that territory.
***
There are times when I have thought about returning to Moby Dick, to give it another chance. Ultimately, though, life is too short to force myself to endure something I really hated the first go-round. Even if I end up liking it, rather than despising the soul of its existence, it’s a waste of precious reading time. To that end, Leviathan is a good substitute, giving you the substance of Melville’s opus in about half the space and none of the obscure references.
December 30, 2024
Leviathan is not your typical tedious history of a long-forgotten culture and trade, but rather its a brilliantly researched and agreeable account that offers a wealth of knowledge as each year of Dolin's chronicle progresses. Chapters are chronological and yet highly diverse and informative in their own right—with fascinating topics that cover the origins of whaling in North America, the evolution and uniqueness of the sperm whale specifically, holistic and economic benefits of the whale in terms of use and trade, and the stress that war, politics, and commerce had on the industry as a whole. Dolin has a fresh and enticing prose for the likes of this rather broad subject, and the numerous first-hand accounts of a given mariner's capability, endurance, trials and tribulations over an endless horizon is quite marvelous to behold:
Rather than humor or resignation, the usual response after finding out that one had spent four years of his life and had little or nothing to show for it was to curse the captain, the officers, the owners, and the industry, and vow never to go whaling again. And indeed, few foremast hands shipped out on a whaleship for a second time, and those who did were usually in debt to the owner, mildly masochistic, unable to find any more satisfying line of work, or all of the above.
Notably, the island of Nantucket plays a distinct and recurring role throughout Dolin's account, with the whalers being hit hardest during the Revolutionary War and (quite literally) into the final days of the War 0f 1812, leading many locals to question their loyalty to a seemingly unprofitable U.S. Republic. One Massachusetts port's downfall would be another's gain during the "Golden Age" of whaling, and Dolin provides a powerful and thoroughly-researched chapter that recounts New Bedford's rise into the glory days of this maritime industry through the mid-nineteenth century. Altogether, the reader will have gained a valuable understanding of the hardships and dire nature of a seafaring livelihood and economy that steadily kept North America afloat for centuries—a feat that both progress and technology would mercifully leave behind.
Rather than humor or resignation, the usual response after finding out that one had spent four years of his life and had little or nothing to show for it was to curse the captain, the officers, the owners, and the industry, and vow never to go whaling again. And indeed, few foremast hands shipped out on a whaleship for a second time, and those who did were usually in debt to the owner, mildly masochistic, unable to find any more satisfying line of work, or all of the above.
Notably, the island of Nantucket plays a distinct and recurring role throughout Dolin's account, with the whalers being hit hardest during the Revolutionary War and (quite literally) into the final days of the War 0f 1812, leading many locals to question their loyalty to a seemingly unprofitable U.S. Republic. One Massachusetts port's downfall would be another's gain during the "Golden Age" of whaling, and Dolin provides a powerful and thoroughly-researched chapter that recounts New Bedford's rise into the glory days of this maritime industry through the mid-nineteenth century. Altogether, the reader will have gained a valuable understanding of the hardships and dire nature of a seafaring livelihood and economy that steadily kept North America afloat for centuries—a feat that both progress and technology would mercifully leave behind.
September 12, 2024
I enjoyed Dolin’s recently published book “Left For Dead” enough that I decided I’d attempt to be a completist on the author’s oeuvre. I knew I had to begin with “Leviathan”—for the simple reason that the era of whaling is oddly compelling to me, made so by way Herman Melville and especially Nathanial Philbrick’s sensational book about the fate of the whale-ship Essex (“In the Heart of the Sea”).
What was elucidating to me was the sheer length and breadth of US whaling history, spanning 200+ years, coincident with the earliest colonies and culminating with the period of WW1. In that time, this important industry, around the 4th or 5th biggest in the US, waxed and waned, experiencing major setbacks owing to the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Very in-depth in terms of scope, the reader is introduced to the many illustrious captains and the intrepidness of whale crews—these seamen experienced incredible hardship and travails, which at turns involved mutineers, hostile natives, the ardors of being lodged in pack ice in polar regions and most fascinatingly, the titanic struggles between whaleboats and the much coveted sperm whales. Valued for the “spermaceti” whale oil and ambergris which were highly prized commodities, providing everything from clean and brightly burning candles, street lighting and (in the case of ambergris) an important constituent of the perfume and cosmetics industry.
The whaling industry in time experienced a precipitous decline with the discovery of alternate fuels. The emergence of kerosene and hydrogen gas, with the discovery of petroleum oil in Pennsylvania marked the end of what seems an almost mythical era. But what a fascinating era it was.
What was elucidating to me was the sheer length and breadth of US whaling history, spanning 200+ years, coincident with the earliest colonies and culminating with the period of WW1. In that time, this important industry, around the 4th or 5th biggest in the US, waxed and waned, experiencing major setbacks owing to the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Very in-depth in terms of scope, the reader is introduced to the many illustrious captains and the intrepidness of whale crews—these seamen experienced incredible hardship and travails, which at turns involved mutineers, hostile natives, the ardors of being lodged in pack ice in polar regions and most fascinatingly, the titanic struggles between whaleboats and the much coveted sperm whales. Valued for the “spermaceti” whale oil and ambergris which were highly prized commodities, providing everything from clean and brightly burning candles, street lighting and (in the case of ambergris) an important constituent of the perfume and cosmetics industry.
The whaling industry in time experienced a precipitous decline with the discovery of alternate fuels. The emergence of kerosene and hydrogen gas, with the discovery of petroleum oil in Pennsylvania marked the end of what seems an almost mythical era. But what a fascinating era it was.
January 5, 2022
Part Mark Kurlansky and John McPhee, -- authors I love -- Eric Dolan has written an absolutely fascinating book about whales and the history of the whaling industry. Much as those authors bring quotidian things and events to life. It's also part literary criticism and biography.
The first whaling was done by settlers who copied the Indians dismantling of stranded pilot whales along the coast. This was succeeded by shore-based whaling as the value of whale oil became apparent leading to taxation and division of the spoils according to detailed rules. What happened, for example, when a whale washed up on the beach attached to a harpoon? Who "owned" the whale? This led to marking harpoons and lances, much as lobster fishermen do to buoys today, to help identify who might own a share.
Gradually, as the Indians, who had performed much of the labor connected to whaling, died off from diseases brought back by those same ships, and as the value of the product rose immensely, blacks were hired to work. The case of Prince Boston was to have profound implications nationally. He was an excellent boat steerer, and having returned from a voyage was due the princely sum of 28 pounds, a substantial amount. His owner, Swain, claimed the money belonged to him and when Roach, the ship's owner, who despised slavery, insisted on paying Boston directly, Swain sued. He lost in all venues. In the Mass. Supreme Court, Boston was not only awarded the money but also given his freedom.
Whaling leveled racial animosity. Escaped slaves would often seek out berths on whaling vessels as a way to earn money (they got equal wages with their white counterparts) as well as escape the depredations of the slave catchers. Most Nantucket whaling captains wanted nothing to do with racial animosity and valued their black sailors. There were exceptions. One Second Mate who became captain after the deaths of the Captain and his First Mate, decided he could make a lot of money by turning his ship into a slaver and sailed off to Africa where he obtained a load of slaves, a profitable voyage, indeed. Whale ships were designed to have lots of room in the hold making them well-suited for such evil transactions.
The story behind Moby Dick is interesting. Melville had signed on has a hand on a whale ship for a 1/175th share (the whole section on how they were paid and the pittance ordinary seamen earned is revealing.) During a GAM -- when two whale ships met in the ocean they would hang our for several days mingling crews and exchanging gossip -- Melville met a young man by the name of Chase who recounted his time on the Essex, a ship that was rammed by a large sperm whale and battered until it sank. The few crew members who survived did so by consuming their companions. (See my review of Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America.) Melville was so taken by the story he used it for, well, you know...
The heyday of whaling was the 1850's before the discovery of coal gas and kerosene as alternative lighting options. The predations of the confederate raiders Shenandoah and Alabama which preyed almost exclusively on the whaling fleet -- they couldn't shoot back so it was easy pickings, destroyed many ships, but the great ice-in of 1871 and 1876, when with typical white man hubris they had ignored the warning of the Eskimos in the Arctic, not only destroyed many ships, but badly hurt the insurance industry which had to take the brunt of the losses. (The story of of 100 whale boat trek to open water is quite a story in itself.) The ever-increasing availability of oil and its refinements spelled doom for the whaling industry, which diminished to nothing by the end of the 19th century.
Wonderful read.
The first whaling was done by settlers who copied the Indians dismantling of stranded pilot whales along the coast. This was succeeded by shore-based whaling as the value of whale oil became apparent leading to taxation and division of the spoils according to detailed rules. What happened, for example, when a whale washed up on the beach attached to a harpoon? Who "owned" the whale? This led to marking harpoons and lances, much as lobster fishermen do to buoys today, to help identify who might own a share.
Gradually, as the Indians, who had performed much of the labor connected to whaling, died off from diseases brought back by those same ships, and as the value of the product rose immensely, blacks were hired to work. The case of Prince Boston was to have profound implications nationally. He was an excellent boat steerer, and having returned from a voyage was due the princely sum of 28 pounds, a substantial amount. His owner, Swain, claimed the money belonged to him and when Roach, the ship's owner, who despised slavery, insisted on paying Boston directly, Swain sued. He lost in all venues. In the Mass. Supreme Court, Boston was not only awarded the money but also given his freedom.
Whaling leveled racial animosity. Escaped slaves would often seek out berths on whaling vessels as a way to earn money (they got equal wages with their white counterparts) as well as escape the depredations of the slave catchers. Most Nantucket whaling captains wanted nothing to do with racial animosity and valued their black sailors. There were exceptions. One Second Mate who became captain after the deaths of the Captain and his First Mate, decided he could make a lot of money by turning his ship into a slaver and sailed off to Africa where he obtained a load of slaves, a profitable voyage, indeed. Whale ships were designed to have lots of room in the hold making them well-suited for such evil transactions.
The story behind Moby Dick is interesting. Melville had signed on has a hand on a whale ship for a 1/175th share (the whole section on how they were paid and the pittance ordinary seamen earned is revealing.) During a GAM -- when two whale ships met in the ocean they would hang our for several days mingling crews and exchanging gossip -- Melville met a young man by the name of Chase who recounted his time on the Essex, a ship that was rammed by a large sperm whale and battered until it sank. The few crew members who survived did so by consuming their companions. (See my review of Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America.) Melville was so taken by the story he used it for, well, you know...
The heyday of whaling was the 1850's before the discovery of coal gas and kerosene as alternative lighting options. The predations of the confederate raiders Shenandoah and Alabama which preyed almost exclusively on the whaling fleet -- they couldn't shoot back so it was easy pickings, destroyed many ships, but the great ice-in of 1871 and 1876, when with typical white man hubris they had ignored the warning of the Eskimos in the Arctic, not only destroyed many ships, but badly hurt the insurance industry which had to take the brunt of the losses. (The story of of 100 whale boat trek to open water is quite a story in itself.) The ever-increasing availability of oil and its refinements spelled doom for the whaling industry, which diminished to nothing by the end of the 19th century.
Wonderful read.
June 16, 2022
Whales were way more important than you realized for a very long time in the history of the U.S.
Turns out, we were very good at it! Coupled with the fact that numerous parts of the whale can be used for different purposes like candles, perfume, and the structural integrity of women’s clothes. Yes, you heard that right. In fact, that is one of the many truly crazy things you can do with whale oil. I don’t want to spoil it all for you already.
Dolin goes back to the very beginning of whaling in America. He takes you through the early documentation of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower up until the very last whaling ship leaving port (it went badly!).
I generally stay away from books which span long time-frames, but Dolin is the master at making it readable and enjoyable. Go read it even if you don’t necessarily care about whaling. Dolin is one of my favorite writers because it doesn’t matter if you care about the subject. He will find a way to make anything interesting and readable.
Turns out, we were very good at it! Coupled with the fact that numerous parts of the whale can be used for different purposes like candles, perfume, and the structural integrity of women’s clothes. Yes, you heard that right. In fact, that is one of the many truly crazy things you can do with whale oil. I don’t want to spoil it all for you already.
Dolin goes back to the very beginning of whaling in America. He takes you through the early documentation of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower up until the very last whaling ship leaving port (it went badly!).
I generally stay away from books which span long time-frames, but Dolin is the master at making it readable and enjoyable. Go read it even if you don’t necessarily care about whaling. Dolin is one of my favorite writers because it doesn’t matter if you care about the subject. He will find a way to make anything interesting and readable.
March 10, 2016
Four stars, though I admit being torn between three and four stars. Honestly, three and a half. I would happily say four if I hadn’t gotten completely bogged down in the long middle section of the book giving the history of American whaling ports.
The political background on the American whaling colonies didn’t interest me nearly as much as the material on whaling itself – the lives and methods of the whalers, details of ships, whaling grounds, and so on. As a result, I put this book aside sometime last year and never managed to pick it up again until about a week ago, when I doggedly ploughed through the (to me) drier middle section into some (again, to me) livelier chapters (chapters 14-19, to be precise) which provided the information on whalers and whaling that I’d hoped to find.
On the whole, I enjoyed the author’s approach to the subject, which gave me enough information to understand unfamiliar material but wasn’t overwhelming. As a bonus, I’ve read a fair number of books on overlapping and related events mentioned in this book, such as In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, and recently have been reading Patrick O’Brien’s famed Aubrey/Maturin series along with a few other nonfiction nautical books, which largely account for my decision to pick this book up once again. To put it simply, I'm on a bit of a seafaring book binge.
As another reviewer, Matt, has pointed out, this book tends to be anecdotal, and the quality of the anecdotes varies. While I am, on the whole, usually fond of such books, I do wish there had been some underlying theme to unify these anecdotes in a more cohesive way.
However, having said that, I do have a much better picture of whaling as an industry and a better appreciation for its economic role, a surprisingly significant one, in our nation’s history. I was surprised to learn, for example, that in 1846, 735 ships out of a worldwide total of 900 whaling ships were American, and that at the height of the “Golden Age” of whaling (1812 to the late 1850s), whaleships accounted for “roughly of the nation’s registered merchant tonnage” and employed approximately 70,000 people.
I have two of the author’s other books, Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America and When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail on my to-read list and am looking forward to reading them. All in all, these books by Eric Jay Dolin promise to be fine additions to my growing “commodity history” shelf.
The political background on the American whaling colonies didn’t interest me nearly as much as the material on whaling itself – the lives and methods of the whalers, details of ships, whaling grounds, and so on. As a result, I put this book aside sometime last year and never managed to pick it up again until about a week ago, when I doggedly ploughed through the (to me) drier middle section into some (again, to me) livelier chapters (chapters 14-19, to be precise) which provided the information on whalers and whaling that I’d hoped to find.
On the whole, I enjoyed the author’s approach to the subject, which gave me enough information to understand unfamiliar material but wasn’t overwhelming. As a bonus, I’ve read a fair number of books on overlapping and related events mentioned in this book, such as In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, and recently have been reading Patrick O’Brien’s famed Aubrey/Maturin series along with a few other nonfiction nautical books, which largely account for my decision to pick this book up once again. To put it simply, I'm on a bit of a seafaring book binge.
As another reviewer, Matt, has pointed out, this book tends to be anecdotal, and the quality of the anecdotes varies. While I am, on the whole, usually fond of such books, I do wish there had been some underlying theme to unify these anecdotes in a more cohesive way.
However, having said that, I do have a much better picture of whaling as an industry and a better appreciation for its economic role, a surprisingly significant one, in our nation’s history. I was surprised to learn, for example, that in 1846, 735 ships out of a worldwide total of 900 whaling ships were American, and that at the height of the “Golden Age” of whaling (1812 to the late 1850s), whaleships accounted for “roughly of the nation’s registered merchant tonnage” and employed approximately 70,000 people.
I have two of the author’s other books, Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America and When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail on my to-read list and am looking forward to reading them. All in all, these books by Eric Jay Dolin promise to be fine additions to my growing “commodity history” shelf.
May 6, 2020
Joelle Reads Her Bookcase #17
Dolin makes it clear from the preface that this is not a modern manifesto against the brutality of whaling. However, he doesn't glory in the death of the whales, nor add in any unnecessary gore. It is simply a narrative of a part of America's past.
The book is well written, and he covers all aspects of the whaling business. Rather than focus on the whales themselves, Dolin focuses on the ingenuity of the whalemen. This is a book about whalemen: how they started; how they adapted; how they were affected by wars and how they overcome. He also gives us glimpses into the what life was like aboard a ship; he charts whale cruises and describes what happens the years they would be gone. When detailing how the whales were processed, his language is mechanical, technical - there's no celebration of death and no deification of the men who were turning the blubber into oil.
This was a part of our history, and Dolin does an excellent job of narrating it without becoming tacky or insensitive. Books like these are impossible to read without a modern conversation lens, but they also must be understood from the time frame in which they were happening. Even though we are, today, appalled by the American whaling industry, we cannot change that it did occur, and we do ourselves no favors by refusing to learn about how it occurred.
I did find the book to become pedantic in parts, and sometimes it was almost tedious as he worked through the early history. He seemed to constantly bounce back and forth between dates, and I often thought we were further ahead than we were.
Dolin makes it clear from the preface that this is not a modern manifesto against the brutality of whaling. However, he doesn't glory in the death of the whales, nor add in any unnecessary gore. It is simply a narrative of a part of America's past.
The book is well written, and he covers all aspects of the whaling business. Rather than focus on the whales themselves, Dolin focuses on the ingenuity of the whalemen. This is a book about whalemen: how they started; how they adapted; how they were affected by wars and how they overcome. He also gives us glimpses into the what life was like aboard a ship; he charts whale cruises and describes what happens the years they would be gone. When detailing how the whales were processed, his language is mechanical, technical - there's no celebration of death and no deification of the men who were turning the blubber into oil.
This was a part of our history, and Dolin does an excellent job of narrating it without becoming tacky or insensitive. Books like these are impossible to read without a modern conversation lens, but they also must be understood from the time frame in which they were happening. Even though we are, today, appalled by the American whaling industry, we cannot change that it did occur, and we do ourselves no favors by refusing to learn about how it occurred.
I did find the book to become pedantic in parts, and sometimes it was almost tedious as he worked through the early history. He seemed to constantly bounce back and forth between dates, and I often thought we were further ahead than we were.
July 25, 2018
As the subtitle plainly states Leviathan is about the history of whaling in America. As we all learned in middle school, whales were hunted for their meat, blubber, baleen and ambergris (a waxy substance used in perfumes). But it was the oil, which burned cleaner and brighter than other substances at the time, that was the real economic driver for the early whaling industry.
Prior to the 1600’s whaling in the continental U.S. largely consisted butchering whales that had been stranded on shore. But by the mid-1600’s New Englanders began open-boat whaling. The preferred technique was to sneak up on the whale and throw or thrust a harpoon into its body. The harpoon was secured to the boat with a strong rope. The purpose of the harpoon was not to kill the whale, but to affix the whale to the boat to prevent it from diving deeply. In an attempt to escape the whale would take the boat and its passengers on a famed ‘Nantucket Sleigh Ride’ exhausting itself in the process, at which point the whalers would close and thrust a lance into the whale in an attempt to pierce the lungs. The measure of success was a bloody spray from the blow hole. With the whale dispatched it could be towed back to shore for butchering.
In the 1700’s the U.S. became a leading exporter as Britain’s demand for whale oil increased and deep sea whaling techniques matured. Trade was interrupted by the Revolutionary War and high tariffs placed on oil by the Brits afterwards caused whaling to founder. The situation improved after the war of 1812 and Nantucket soon became the world’s preeminent whaling port. However, their good fortune was not to last. By 1850, whaling was in decline, and Nantucket's whaling industry was surpassed by that of New Bedford. Though the island suffered great economic hardship, it must have come as no small consolation that the decline in whaling was accompanied by a corresponding rise to prominence as Nantucket became the distinguished subject of filthy limericks around the globe.
U.S. whaling peaked in the mid-1800s, but the introduction of kerosene lamps in 1846 began to take its toll on the demand for whale oil. The Civil War further decimated the industry and by 1895 the New England whaling fleet was down to just 51 ships. The last whaler departed from New Bedford in 1927 (and there was much rejoicing from the cetacean community).
Dolin goes into great detail of many aspects of whaling - from the long voyages (averaging 4 years), the butchering of whales, shipboard life including the maggot ridden food, hardships, deprivations, living conditions, finances, and injuries suffered, scrimshaw (and scrimshaw porn), hostile natives, mutinous crewmen and rogue whales. He also includes numerous anecdotes such as that of a woman who passed as a seaman for 7 months before discovery, and the techniques used by scalawags to conscript young naifs into whaling service. What is clear is that life for the average whale man was far from romantic and not particularly lucrative, which is why it wasn’t unusual for half of a ship’s crew on each voyage to desert at the first opportunity.
Of course no whaling book would be complete without a discussion of Moby Dick (the literary masterpiece as opposed to something relating to scrimshaw porn) and Dolin goes into some detail about the sources of Melville’s ideas for the tale (many of which were based on actual events).
As to the book, it was pretty good. Dolin clearly did quite a bit of research in putting it together and the material, though somewhat voluminous, is presented in a fairly interesting manner.
By way of criticism:
Dolin ignores indigenous whalers entirely. This is particularly egregious given that native Alaskans began hunting whales long before New Englanders did and are currently the only Americans still engaged in the practice (though this is not without controversy). To call the omission of these individuals from a history of American whaling an ‘oversight’ strikes me as rather an understatement.
In his section discussing the Civil War Dolin speaks in derogatory terms of union soldiers who attempted to disrupt confederate commerce by blockading ports, yet his coverage of rebel warships who plundered and burned unarmed civilian whaling vessels in order to disrupt commerce is positively heroic. It’s weird. The only explanation that occurs to me is that Dolin (who, according to Wiki, grew up in the northeast) is a closeted confederate sympathizer.
Finally - early in the book Dolin states that he intends, in no way, shape or form, to discuss the issue of whale conservation or the disastrous effect that whaling had on the species. I view this as an unfortunate decision. It’s certainly the author’s prerogative to decide what topics to tackle in their work, and Dolin has chosen to limit his discussion only to that of whaling history in the (continental) U.S. But this is an odd choice given the fact that many species of whale were nearly exterminated, that they only exist today due to whaling moratoriums agreed upon by many of the world’s countries and the fact that several species remain critically endangered as a result of whaling to this day. Frankly, I can only view Dolin’s choice as an abrogation of responsibility. There was no reason he could not have dedicated a short chapter to a subject that I view to be of much greater importance and relevance today than the one he chose to write about.
March 1, 2024
This was my first history book and I enjoyed it. It is very thorough and covers American whaling from start to finish. This is a history book and not all history is super exciting. There are plenty of low points in whaling, but in turn, you get very high exciting points as well! Learning about what life was like aboard a whaling ship is explained very well. My favorite chapter was about the sperm whale…what an amazing creature that God created. Overall a good read . My next stop is Moby Dick in case you want to check in and see where I’m at!
October 4, 2022
Before starting this book, I had no knowledge of, or interest in, whaling. This comprehensive history of the American Whaling Industry from the 17th to the 20th century won me over completely. It was a compelling read full of fascinating information, and I highly recommend it. Not only did I learn a tremendous amount about whaling, but by using whaling as a frame of reference the author exposed other interesting facets of American history. It is a dense book, but for those interested in taking a deep dive into an captivating slice of history, this is a winner.
August 25, 2025
If the history of whaling in America piques your interest then this is the book for you.
August 25, 2017
Excellent history of whaling in the U.S. My only complaint is that the narrator (who was a bit boring to listen to) didn't pronounce many place names as someone who lived in Massachusetts would.
February 12, 2023
Lots of first-hand accounts of whaling throughout the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries interwoven into a solid narrative of the history. Whaling was such an enormous backbone of the American lifestyle in a way that is east to forget. Gives a bit of old-white-man-historian vibes (some generalizations about Alaska Natives for example).
March 13, 2024
这样一部作品啊，是能帮助你对一个很狭窄的领域了解很多的范例。
但我个人觉得，作者因为过于追求全面，而试图把所有和美国捕鲸业有哪怕些微关联的内容全部收入囊中，导致全书的叙事线索显得相当凌乱。比如1812年战争和南北战争里那些进行海上破袭作战的案例，就尤为冗余和离题。
所以，假如把全书的篇幅砍去比如⅓，把视线更多聚焦在和捕鲸直接相关的内容上，那本书或许会变得更精炼和易读吧。
但我个人觉得，作者因为过于追求全面，而试图把所有和美国捕鲸业有哪怕些微关联的内容全部收入囊中，导致全书的叙事线索显得相当凌乱。比如1812年战争和南北战争里那些进行海上破袭作战的案例，就尤为冗余和离题。
所以，假如把全书的篇幅砍去比如⅓，把视线更多聚焦在和捕鲸直接相关的内容上，那本书或许会变得更精炼和易读吧。
December 3, 2022
This was definitely not as exciting as I somehow thought it was going to be. The title is brilliant. The cover is dynamic and the very act of whaling is so wild and dangerous that I thought this book was going to be way more exciting than it actually was for me at least. A lot of it had to do with the economic impact and deals of America throughout it's various wars. I'm not very familiar with a lot of American history so I did feel like a fish out of water a bit. I guess that's expected though as I am reading a book about the history of whaling IN AMERICA. Considered even erasing the previous sentence but I'll keep it in I think because that's the honest truth. I did think though that Eric honestly did do a great job in encompassing all aspects of the whaling history like some technological advancements, the geographical expansion, the use of the oil and most excitingly for me, the various disasters that occurred. More than I thought. It does mention the classic example of the essex being sunk by the sperm whale, which as we all know inspired the legendary novel Moby Dick. My favourite part of the book actually was the in depth look on the biological side of the sperm whale. Sadly this was only one single chapter and for the rest of the book, Eric only briefly added some more stuff about the actual whales. I learnt so much in that chapter. Eric is certainly a great historian of American history and I would actually be interested in more of his work. The goal was certainly achieved in this book as Eric goes through the rather short history of America chronologically and I definitely have a much better timeline of the whaling industry and how it fizzled out in America after world war 1 completely. It certainly had many ups and downs. I also really liked the honest and blunt reality of the whaling industry not including native American tribes or other earlier groups of people around the world that may have sporadically killed a whale. The history of them killing whales or having ancient superior knowledge is very hazy. The wars various wars as mentioned earlier deeply impacted the industry as it became a danger to sale at all. Immediately after there seemed to be significant spikes of success and changes of power but the eventual use of fossil fuels is what would ultimately completely destroy the industry.
I certainly wasn't expecting this book to start with the mythical John Smith. Somehow or another, with whaling failing miserably back in Europe for anyone besides Holland, the adventurer had to have some sort of more legitimate excuse for one of his missions (which ended up failing) in the new foreign lands. As Europeans would more and more travel for other reasons across the ocean, they would see a lot of whales and the business of hunting them took off. The main couple of whale species that were hunted at first at least were the right whale ( known for being the right whale to kill) and the bowhead whale. Another smaller one was the pilot whale. The industry had some initial different phases of whaling that were separated on WHERE they were whaling. At first whaling was a lot of gathering the remains of drift whales. Known as drift whaling. Problem of this is determining who it belongs to. This became a further problem as the country was being colonised. Then shore whaling became a harder but more lucrative business. The vast majority of the history of whaling is of deep sea whaling which is what we consider whaling at all and eventually increased in the length they were away. Eventually they would also add off shore manufacturing of the blubber into oil. Despite this, at the end of the book, you get a sense on how inefficient the Americans were with the carcass of the whale. The Norwegians later would be far better. One of the main initial uses for the whale blubber was for lights and candles. The central classic hub of whaling that was Nantucket on the east coast of America. A much lesser known part for me though is the part that the native Americans played in the "history" of Nantucket as a major part of the labour force ( largely due to that Nantucket had so many of them there originally). At the peak of Nantucket success though, the labor force was predominantly white with the death of natives and end of slavery. Whaling would also then gain a new status as the high-end prestige. After the endless chapters of the independence of america and the industry, whaling in the pacific had started. Nantucket eventually became stagnant in this growing industry and the gold rush of America also completely left the east coast in the dust. Decades later the quality of sailors and the prestige would completely change for the worse and it became a business of nobodies. By default, there were endless conmen trying to con naïve young men to accepting these hard jobs. The effects of a growing industry in whaling with fewer whales and longer voyages that affected relationships deeply with men being away for most of their marriages. Women rarely if ever went whaling. Hawaii became an important port for whalers, which took a massive toll on the natives there too, virtually destroying their unprepared culture and using it as a hub of prostitution. As the business grew in the west coast, the Californian grey whale was almost hunted to extinction ( despite it being of significantly worse value). It was also known for being a particularly difficult whale to kill and often fought back. What helped them almost wipe it out were the weapon's upgrades like rocket harpoons and hook like spears that White people had stolen from the inuit people. One chapter I rather enjoyed was about the dark and dirty side of whaling. Starting with the hierarchy and discipline of whaling ships. A delicate and important matter as voyages took so long ago therefore the line between swift action and mistreatment was very fine. Many examples of lashings and floggings were recorded.
Scurvy was of course the main disease on these long sea voyages.
Depression isn't left out either and suicide was not uncommon. Especially when you are in this rough trapped environment, with little hopes of anything else. One can only imagine how disgusting the food was that apparently went off in 1 month. How do they get by in voyages that may take years. Whaling itself was extremely dangerous too. Not just because of the sailing in the Pacific ocean and hunting a resisting enormous animal, but also the filthy and unsafe work conditions. Like slipping on whale fat and blood and either getting hit by large hooks everywhere or falling into shark infested waters.
As mentioned earlier, my favourite chapter was about the king of the whales, the Sperm whale.
Or the whale of whales for it's unique features and it's mysteriousness.
The thickest skin of any animal, the largest skull, head and brain. The largest of the toothed whales. Virtually only head and perfectly symmetrical tail. There is mas confusion by biologist trying to classify the whale sure to it's bizarre features like the eyes placement and the blow how at the tip of the head and slightly off centre. The skin is ridged and can be marbled, like the description of the mythical Moby dick. The general colour of the animal is carried though ranging from grey, brown and blue. The sperm whale have various other less obvious and order known features that are unique. The disproportionately large and dark penis, the extremely valuable and light blubber which was the main attraction, the strange spermaceti of unknown or debatable use that will be used for candles in the future, and layout the ambergris which was for the longest time of unknown origin, only to be discovered somehow in the stomach of the sperm whales. I'm more fascinated in what biologist don't know about it's behaviour, which is a lot actually. The communication in loud clicks, also known as the carpenter fish while under water. The extreme deep diving to feed which is never really recorded. Not do the teeth display any sign of chewing, but rather fighting. The never before seen battles against the giant squid. Another rare sight is the breaching of the water, almost coming completely out of the water and sounding like an old gun, also seen by the legendary Charles Darwin. More relevant to the topic of the book, they are the only whale to intentionally attack boats, with both it's front and back and unpredictability when swimming fast or diving.
I certainly wasn't expecting this book to start with the mythical John Smith. Somehow or another, with whaling failing miserably back in Europe for anyone besides Holland, the adventurer had to have some sort of more legitimate excuse for one of his missions (which ended up failing) in the new foreign lands. As Europeans would more and more travel for other reasons across the ocean, they would see a lot of whales and the business of hunting them took off. The main couple of whale species that were hunted at first at least were the right whale ( known for being the right whale to kill) and the bowhead whale. Another smaller one was the pilot whale. The industry had some initial different phases of whaling that were separated on WHERE they were whaling. At first whaling was a lot of gathering the remains of drift whales. Known as drift whaling. Problem of this is determining who it belongs to. This became a further problem as the country was being colonised. Then shore whaling became a harder but more lucrative business. The vast majority of the history of whaling is of deep sea whaling which is what we consider whaling at all and eventually increased in the length they were away. Eventually they would also add off shore manufacturing of the blubber into oil. Despite this, at the end of the book, you get a sense on how inefficient the Americans were with the carcass of the whale. The Norwegians later would be far better. One of the main initial uses for the whale blubber was for lights and candles. The central classic hub of whaling that was Nantucket on the east coast of America. A much lesser known part for me though is the part that the native Americans played in the "history" of Nantucket as a major part of the labour force ( largely due to that Nantucket had so many of them there originally). At the peak of Nantucket success though, the labor force was predominantly white with the death of natives and end of slavery. Whaling would also then gain a new status as the high-end prestige. After the endless chapters of the independence of america and the industry, whaling in the pacific had started. Nantucket eventually became stagnant in this growing industry and the gold rush of America also completely left the east coast in the dust. Decades later the quality of sailors and the prestige would completely change for the worse and it became a business of nobodies. By default, there were endless conmen trying to con naïve young men to accepting these hard jobs. The effects of a growing industry in whaling with fewer whales and longer voyages that affected relationships deeply with men being away for most of their marriages. Women rarely if ever went whaling. Hawaii became an important port for whalers, which took a massive toll on the natives there too, virtually destroying their unprepared culture and using it as a hub of prostitution. As the business grew in the west coast, the Californian grey whale was almost hunted to extinction ( despite it being of significantly worse value). It was also known for being a particularly difficult whale to kill and often fought back. What helped them almost wipe it out were the weapon's upgrades like rocket harpoons and hook like spears that White people had stolen from the inuit people. One chapter I rather enjoyed was about the dark and dirty side of whaling. Starting with the hierarchy and discipline of whaling ships. A delicate and important matter as voyages took so long ago therefore the line between swift action and mistreatment was very fine. Many examples of lashings and floggings were recorded.
Scurvy was of course the main disease on these long sea voyages.
Depression isn't left out either and suicide was not uncommon. Especially when you are in this rough trapped environment, with little hopes of anything else. One can only imagine how disgusting the food was that apparently went off in 1 month. How do they get by in voyages that may take years. Whaling itself was extremely dangerous too. Not just because of the sailing in the Pacific ocean and hunting a resisting enormous animal, but also the filthy and unsafe work conditions. Like slipping on whale fat and blood and either getting hit by large hooks everywhere or falling into shark infested waters.
As mentioned earlier, my favourite chapter was about the king of the whales, the Sperm whale.
Or the whale of whales for it's unique features and it's mysteriousness.
The thickest skin of any animal, the largest skull, head and brain. The largest of the toothed whales. Virtually only head and perfectly symmetrical tail. There is mas confusion by biologist trying to classify the whale sure to it's bizarre features like the eyes placement and the blow how at the tip of the head and slightly off centre. The skin is ridged and can be marbled, like the description of the mythical Moby dick. The general colour of the animal is carried though ranging from grey, brown and blue. The sperm whale have various other less obvious and order known features that are unique. The disproportionately large and dark penis, the extremely valuable and light blubber which was the main attraction, the strange spermaceti of unknown or debatable use that will be used for candles in the future, and layout the ambergris which was for the longest time of unknown origin, only to be discovered somehow in the stomach of the sperm whales. I'm more fascinated in what biologist don't know about it's behaviour, which is a lot actually. The communication in loud clicks, also known as the carpenter fish while under water. The extreme deep diving to feed which is never really recorded. Not do the teeth display any sign of chewing, but rather fighting. The never before seen battles against the giant squid. Another rare sight is the breaching of the water, almost coming completely out of the water and sounding like an old gun, also seen by the legendary Charles Darwin. More relevant to the topic of the book, they are the only whale to intentionally attack boats, with both it's front and back and unpredictability when swimming fast or diving.
May 29, 2008
The sperm whale, what an amazing animal! And man's interaction with it even more so. Colonial American whaling seems to have been overshadowed by the more popular whaling era in the mid 1800's. I am amazed at the whole proposition of chasing a leviathan in a tiny boat (no matter what decade) and have read many books, fiction and non fiction, on the subject. In other books I found no or little mention of the importance of whaling during our country's beginnings but this one has a lot of good information for colonial times. Presented in an historic yet fun tone, the reading is easy. This book is corroborating and expanding on other readings in a human way...lots of good quotes. Starting with shore whaling, to nearby offshore whaling, to longer voyages, I like getting the whole picture of how and why this unlikely pursuit began. My view of this time in our history is getting a new dimension. So far it is quite the yarn; I would recommend.
May 30, 2022
Before petroleum, there was whale oil. This eye-opening account starts at the very beginning. The early colonists, copying First Peoples, butchered whales that had already beached themselves. From there the book proceeds to chronicle the rise of the whaling business, the growing ports, the first fortunes, the American Revolution, the street lamps in London, the fashion for corsets, the competition from the Gold Rush, the confusion of the Civil War.....all the way to the death of the US whaling industry and its celluloid preservation in a 1920s silent film. Remarkable book if you want to know everything about the old whaling business. This book captivated my attention so thoroughly that I took a trip to New Bedford, Mass., to visit the extensive outdoor whaling museum there. I highly recommend both the book and the museum.
January 21, 2008
No false advertising here. This book is exactly what it says it is: a comprehensive narrative of American whaling, from the 1600s through (nearly) the present. I give it five stars because it is difficult to imagine an author covering the subject any better than Dolan does.
The highlight of the book is its chapters on the "Golden Age" of American whaling -- from about 1800 to 1850.
The highlight of the book is its chapters on the "Golden Age" of American whaling -- from about 1800 to 1850.
August 19, 2017
An adequate and serviceable history of America's engagement with whaling
Portions are very engaging but other parts lag
Would have wished the author would have finished with a summary of the ecological impact of whaling upon the the whale population of the early 21st century
Given his studies in environmental policy and biology this should have been a topic he could easily addressed
Portions are very engaging but other parts lag
Would have wished the author would have finished with a summary of the ecological impact of whaling upon the the whale population of the early 21st century
Given his studies in environmental policy and biology this should have been a topic he could easily addressed
November 25, 2015
Panoramic account of whaling in America from colonial times to the beginning of the 20th century. Like all great historical non-fiction it leaves you feeling nostalgic for a lost era. Of course for the whales and the whale men who suffered in their pursuit the end could not have come sooner.
April 18, 2019
I’m starting to get concerned with myself, how much I like to read about whaling. It’s so scary and disgusting and horrible! Yeah, so, hello friends, let’s enjoy our paid work that is inside a building
May 14, 2015
I love the history of whaling so for me to give this anything less than five stars would be foolish.
January 8, 2017
It held my interest throughout it's entirety. That's saying a lot from a reader with my ADD
September 9, 2024
The problem with this history of whaling is that there's too much history and not enough whaling.
Leviathan is a history of the whaling industry in the U.S., starting at some of the earliest European voyages (John Smith not seeing the whales probably changed history) and continuing to U.S. whaling sputtering out ignominiously in the 20th Century under the growth of the petroleum industry and further advances in industrialized whaling of other nations pushing the proto/early industrialized U.S. version out of marketability.
This is much more of a business history than an industrial one. I expected more of a focus on the, well, Melville aspects of the working of a whaling ship during the heyday. This only gets about two chapters. Most of it is is much more higher level in respect to how and what was going in the business itself, from its growth into a business from earlier chance findings and into a vital part of the East Coast economy, and how the business changed with technological shifts.
It is still interesting, but at points I felt like this was a frustrated writer of a more general U.S. history book shooting his shot. I recently read Biography of X, and one of the things that it gets criticized for is that all its counterfactual history would not be included or explained in a book relating some other topic, like it does. This book puts lie to that. It is relevant - unsurprisingly, naval war is bad for business - but it was a lot of material.
There are a lot of decisions like that in this history, structural things that are odd, albeit with a justification. It still has great information.
Leviathan is a history of the whaling industry in the U.S., starting at some of the earliest European voyages (John Smith not seeing the whales probably changed history) and continuing to U.S. whaling sputtering out ignominiously in the 20th Century under the growth of the petroleum industry and further advances in industrialized whaling of other nations pushing the proto/early industrialized U.S. version out of marketability.
This is much more of a business history than an industrial one. I expected more of a focus on the, well, Melville aspects of the working of a whaling ship during the heyday. This only gets about two chapters. Most of it is is much more higher level in respect to how and what was going in the business itself, from its growth into a business from earlier chance findings and into a vital part of the East Coast economy, and how the business changed with technological shifts.
It is still interesting, but at points I felt like this was a frustrated writer of a more general U.S. history book shooting his shot. I recently read Biography of X, and one of the things that it gets criticized for is that all its counterfactual history would not be included or explained in a book relating some other topic, like it does. This book puts lie to that. It is relevant - unsurprisingly, naval war is bad for business - but it was a lot of material.
There are a lot of decisions like that in this history, structural things that are odd, albeit with a justification. It still has great information.
August 26, 2019
As a person who frequently visits Martha's Vineyard, whaling history has always piqued my interests. Not the barbarity of the kill itself, but more of the romanticism of exploring far off seas like the south pacific, or Bering Sea, or port visits to Hawaii or other newly discovered islands. Additionally, I was also curious to see if this book would answer a question I have had for several years. That being how Nantucket, a isolated island bereft of any natural resources like timber, food, or water, could become the whaling capital of the world. What I learned about this was:
1) Nantucket was actually eclipsed by New Bedford in both whaling vessels and barrels of oil right after the war of 1812. As whaling needed to go farther out, the port of San Francisco became, albeitly brief, a whaling hub.
2) As whaleships became larger, a sandbar in the Nantucket harbor prevented larger draft ships to quickly and easily unload cargo, thus expediting port changes and the creation of several failed inventions geared towards trying to solve this problem
4) The Roche family actively engaged in finding a better port in both the Americas with the creation of New Bedford, and Dunkirk France
5) Lastly, whaling relied on traditional tried and true methods to a fault. Inventions like the tryworks on ships, pneumatic harpoons and wind driven ships were always late to be implemented due to not aligning to how things were in the past.
In all this was a nice book outlining the rise and fall of oil use from mammals and the innovations and lives of individuals who put everything on the line.
1) Nantucket was actually eclipsed by New Bedford in both whaling vessels and barrels of oil right after the war of 1812. As whaling needed to go farther out, the port of San Francisco became, albeitly brief, a whaling hub.
2) As whaleships became larger, a sandbar in the Nantucket harbor prevented larger draft ships to quickly and easily unload cargo, thus expediting port changes and the creation of several failed inventions geared towards trying to solve this problem
4) The Roche family actively engaged in finding a better port in both the Americas with the creation of New Bedford, and Dunkirk France
5) Lastly, whaling relied on traditional tried and true methods to a fault. Inventions like the tryworks on ships, pneumatic harpoons and wind driven ships were always late to be implemented due to not aligning to how things were in the past.
In all this was a nice book outlining the rise and fall of oil use from mammals and the innovations and lives of individuals who put everything on the line.
December 19, 2017
I ended up with a free copy of this after reading the author's excellent "Brilliant Beacons" and decided to give it a go. I'm vaguely familiar with Moby Dick (I think I read a very abridged version in school), but I did not know very much about whaling and don't read very much about non-military maritime history. This book is the history of American whaling, from early colonists to the last wooden whaleship in 1924. "Leviathan" and "Brilliant Beacons" are written in a similar format: a fairly detailed chronological history of the main subject's early days with the middle of the book being a series of sub-topics about the hey-day of the main subject, with a short history of the subject's decline. I don't think I would have noticed this if I hadn't read the two books the same year.
This books seems generally well-written and well-researched. Nevertheless, I found it a bit of an uneven read, starting off fairly interesting then becoming a bit mired in lots of political issues that I found kind of dull. I put this book down on two occasions to move on to other books. The book really hits its stride with the Golden Of Whaling. The final act was pretty interesting too.
I'd give this 3.5 stars if I could, but given the strong content I'll round up for this one. I recommend it, although whether strongly or mildly could vary greatly depending on the reader. But if you want to read exactly one book about historical whaling this is definitely it.
This books seems generally well-written and well-researched. Nevertheless, I found it a bit of an uneven read, starting off fairly interesting then becoming a bit mired in lots of political issues that I found kind of dull. I put this book down on two occasions to move on to other books. The book really hits its stride with the Golden Of Whaling. The final act was pretty interesting too.
I'd give this 3.5 stars if I could, but given the strong content I'll round up for this one. I recommend it, although whether strongly or mildly could vary greatly depending on the reader. But if you want to read exactly one book about historical whaling this is definitely it.
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February 22, 2023Well written and very well researched. Gives a firsthand account of the sinking and subsequent surviving of the whaleship Essex. I liked the history of Nantucket and whaling and learning about the social and economic makeup of the island. Especially how they had a culture of their own separate from even their closest neighbors on cape cod.
I got a little bored in the middle while they were all at sea but i suppose that’s the point: whaling can be quite boring.
The tortoise stuff was crazy its shocking how they just wiped out animal populations in like a week sometimes. Also when the guy burned that island I was yelling.
I enjoyed the conclusion but i wish it had a bit for finality, maybe some opinions on how much the island has changed and how that Nantucketer identity was completely lost to time and economic changes. As this is strictly a history book, I understand why the author didn’t often give his opinion, but i wish he had. He did a good job concluding by giving accounts of what happened next to all the sailors.
I liked it in general, always good to know about disasters so you can avoid.
I got a little bored in the middle while they were all at sea but i suppose that’s the point: whaling can be quite boring.
The tortoise stuff was crazy its shocking how they just wiped out animal populations in like a week sometimes. Also when the guy burned that island I was yelling.
I enjoyed the conclusion but i wish it had a bit for finality, maybe some opinions on how much the island has changed and how that Nantucketer identity was completely lost to time and economic changes. As this is strictly a history book, I understand why the author didn’t often give his opinion, but i wish he had. He did a good job concluding by giving accounts of what happened next to all the sailors.
I liked it in general, always good to know about disasters so you can avoid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2019
Mr. Dolin has done an excellent job of crafting his history of Whaling in America. For all the history about early America I did not understand how laced with its history was Whaling. Between candles and whale oil the lighting of the 17th through the mid 19th would have been very different without these Integral ingredients made from that of whales. Though today the idea of whaling is repugnant to most people in the 17th century it was vital to lighting European and Colonial homes. The need for better and cheaper lighting of homes and factories pushed technology forward swiftly, with the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania and the technology to make kerosene it was then lighting and heating became affordable... and with that a sharp decline in whaling by 1866. This is a well written and carefully researched history of whaling, years ago I heard Mr. Dolin speak that talk was as good as this book. If you enjoy history this is a good book to read about a very import time period in United States history.
September 21, 2020
(Audiobook) I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a good mix of history and personal accounts that followed one of the bigger industries that drove the American, and much of the international, economy for the better part of the 19th century. It followed how whaling came to American shores and how it evolved from activity of the various native tribes to Europeans to how the Americans (colonists and nation-state members) came to dominate the industry. The author covers the rise in New England, referencing many known sources, from Moby Dick to Philbrick's works, but he also includes other sources and accounts that many will not know of before reading this. His analysis and story-telling is straight forward and gives the reader a true sense of what was involved with whaling, on the sea and land.
The audiobook is solid, as the reader does a good job with the material. For those who want to learn about whaling in America beyond Moby Dick, go to this work. You won't be disappointed.
The audiobook is solid, as the reader does a good job with the material. For those who want to learn about whaling in America beyond Moby Dick, go to this work. You won't be disappointed.
September 30, 2020
Whaling in America. You're thinking Moby Dick, right?
But it started well before then with the practice of shore whaling. Apparently in the early years of colonial America, dead whales had a habit of washing onshore, after a storm, in Nantucket and Southhampton. And one dead whale could go a long way in poverty stricken early New England in providing meat, oil, etc.
So after a storm, each village had a couple of designated whale watchers to go check out the coast for bounty from the sea. First village to lay dibs on the whale had it for themselves. And in return for this service, the two spotters didn't have to get involved in the messy business of breaking the whale down, as did the rest of the villagers.
This was a fascinating and well-written history of the earlier whaling industry. So much I didn't know! Like at the time of the Revolutionary War, the whale products trade was the most valuable with Britain. None of that sugar, tobacco, etc. nonsense.
And the first people to take on whaling in the sea? The Basque, in the seventh century. Who knew?
But it started well before then with the practice of shore whaling. Apparently in the early years of colonial America, dead whales had a habit of washing onshore, after a storm, in Nantucket and Southhampton. And one dead whale could go a long way in poverty stricken early New England in providing meat, oil, etc.
So after a storm, each village had a couple of designated whale watchers to go check out the coast for bounty from the sea. First village to lay dibs on the whale had it for themselves. And in return for this service, the two spotters didn't have to get involved in the messy business of breaking the whale down, as did the rest of the villagers.
This was a fascinating and well-written history of the earlier whaling industry. So much I didn't know! Like at the time of the Revolutionary War, the whale products trade was the most valuable with Britain. None of that sugar, tobacco, etc. nonsense.
And the first people to take on whaling in the sea? The Basque, in the seventh century. Who knew?
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