Publisher's Note A rousing history of whaling in the South Seas focusing on the American industry sailing out of Nantucket.
Industry Reviews "Much as Melville made his book a whale, full of cunning passages, so Mawer intersperses his historical account with "tailpieces" on the processes and populations involved in this mortally dangerous businesses. The history offers many highlights and sidelights....Mawer's "tailpieces" [are] rewarding..." Times Literary Supplement - Richard Lansdown (07/07/2000)