An edition of The hunted whale (2013)

The hunted whale

First edition.

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Last edited by MARC Bot
October 7, 2024 | History
An edition of The hunted whale (2013)

The hunted whale

First edition.

The Hunted Whale is a spectacular photographic exploration of the material culture of American whaling in the age of sail. Before the coming of steam and diesel ships with instruments of mechanized slaughter, the hunt was a relatively even contest between two wily mammals - man and the sperm whale. The danger that lurked in each hunt can be seen in the ultra-light cedar construction of the whale boat that the men "beached" on the living whale's back. The gnarled and twisted shapes of surviving harpoons document the tenacity of the hunters as well as the wounded whale's manic attempt to break free. Many aspects of the sperm whale's unusual physiology are illustrated here, as are the whaler's personal belongings: hats, gloves, and scrimshaw - the intricate carvings he made on the whale's teeth. Expertly curated and beautifully shot, this magnificent photo essay takes the viewer to the New England ports of a fledgling America as it struggled to dominate a global industry. Amazing facts, explanatory notes, and tales from the sea, representing the fruit of years of research, accompany James McGuane's over 250 masterful photographs. McGuane looks to identify the various motivations that turned ordinary men into whale hunters. He discovers adventure, greed, courage, escape, gullibility and ignorance. The book also includes a riveting firsthand account of the hunt, excerpted from naturalist Robert Cushman Murphy's Logbook for Grace, a diary he kept of his time aboard the whaleship Daisy in 1912. With The Hunted Whale, McGuane delivers an engrossing and humane snapshot of a now-vanished age that helped forge the American nation as we know it.

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
208

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: The hunted whale
The hunted whale
2013, W.W. Norton & Company
in English - First edition.

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Book Details


Table of Contents

The hunt
The ship
The whaleboat
The crew
Whales
Whalecraft and the tools of whaling
Cutting in
Trying out
Life aboard
Life ashore.

Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references (pages 206-208).

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
639.2/8
Library of Congress
SH383.2 .M43 2013, SH383.2M43 2014

The Physical Object

Pagination
208 pages
Number of pages
208

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL27152659M
Internet Archive
huntedwhale0000mcgu
ISBN 10
0393069125
ISBN 13
9780393069129
LCCN
2013009414
OCLC/WorldCat
811599489

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History

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October 7, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 4, 2022 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
August 3, 2020 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
July 18, 2019 Created by MARC Bot import new book