In the heart of the sea the tragedy of the whaleship essex is a book by american writer nathaniel philbrick about the loss of the whaler essex in the pacific ocean in 1820 the book was published by viking press on may 8 2000 and won the 2000 national book award for nonfictionit was adapted into a film of the same name which came out in late 2015. Buy in the heart of the sea the tragedy of the whaleship essex reissue by philbrick nathaniel isbn 9780141001821 from amazons book store everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This was a fascinating and very readable true account of the whaleship essex and its crew which left nantucket in 1820 only to meet with disaster fifteen months later in the vast expanse of the pacific ocean i have been interested in learning more about this tragedy for some time but honestly didnt expect to become so absorbed in this book. It was the story of the essex which inspired hermann melville himself a crewman on a whaleship to write moby dick a fictionalised account based on the story of the essex i have never read moby dick but this is a gripping and informative real life account of the sinking of the essex and the awful consequences for its crew. Buy in the heart of the sea the tragedy of the whaleship essex media tie in unabridged by philbrick nathaniel isbn 9781611763577 from amazons book store everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders