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The sheer sweep and ambition of Nathaniel Philbrick's
Sea of Glory rather takes the breath away, but shouldn't come as any kind of surprise--his earlier book,
In the Heart of the Sea, displayed a similar mastery of matters nautical. But the new book is something special: Philbrick's source has been little-known 19th century journals and letters, detailing the astonishing story of a nautical odyssey that traversed the Pacific Ocean and opened up the new continent of Antarctica.
In 1838, US Ex Ex (actually the United States South Seas Exploring Expedition) set out to explore every inch of the Pacific. The two ships that comprised the expedition covered nearly 300 islands and encountered an amazing range of human savagery (notably the Fijian islanders' taste for human flesh). At the head of this hardy body of men was the formidable figure of Lt Charles Wilkes, a man whose internal conflicts often made life hell for those about him. His driven personality ultimately precipitated catastrophe, and the resulting court martials became the talk of New York.
The achievement of Philbrick in this massive saga is considerable: as well as detailing the voyages of discovery at the heart of the narrative (the US Ex Ex ships brought back more specimens in the natural history field than even Captain Cook's better-known expeditions), he's concerned with telling a human drama, with the controversial Charles Wilkes at its heart. We have the harrowing saga of a man said to have inspired Melville's tyrannical Captain Ahab, his epic voyages counterpointed by a passionately disputed court martial. --Barry Forshaw
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Pressestimmen
'Philbrick reconstructs this remarkable expedition in heroic detail!an exemplary account of an important and neglected expedition.' The Times 'A stirring yarn, a satisfying lump of cultural history, and a thoughtful moral fable.' Daily Telegraph 'Elegant and meticulously researched!Philbrick's book brings the motivation and nature of exploration into sharp relief.' Independent 'It is a fine salty tale, with a becalmed beginning, a stormy centre and a long, messy accusation-filled return to shore.' Sunday Times 'A gripping history of the remarkable search for the "ice studded mystery" at the bottom of the world!Superb.' Economist 'Philbrick, a conscientious historian and an articulate writer, manages to bring a strong sense of narrative to his tale while still placing it within the broader historical perspective!Perhaps the greatest merit of the book is in its redressing the oversights of history![It is] a reappraisal of naval history and a powerful study of flawed genius.' Times Literary Supplement PRAISE FOR IN THE HEART OF THE SEA: 'William Hootkins can barely hide the disdain in his deep, throaty, American voice as he tells of the massacre. If you listen hard enough you can detect a hint of poetic justice as he relays the horrors of the survivors, found sucking the marrow from their dead shipmates' bone. Brilliant.' Observer 'Nathaniel Philbrick has taken one of the most horrifying stories in maritime history and turned it into a classic. Rich with detail on topics ranging from celestial navigation and whale biology to the history of cannibalism, this is historical writing at its best -- and at the same time, one of the most chilling books I have ever read.' Sebastian Junger, author of THE PERFECT STORM.
