"Joan Druett offers an informed and accessible account of little-known stories of wives of whaling captains who accompanied their husbands on long and arduous journeys to bring whale oil and blubber to New England and the United States. Surprisingly, by 1850 roughly a sixth of all whaling vessels carried the captains' wives.

Invariably the only woman aboard very cramped ships, they endured harsh conditions to provide companionship for their husbands, and often exerted a strong unofficial moral influence on a rowdy crew. Joan Druett provides captivating portraits of many of these wives and the difficult circumstances they endured."--BOOK JACKET.