Recounts the story of the 1820 wreck of the whaleship <IT>Essex, <RO>which in its time was as mythic as the sinking of the <IT>Titanic <RO>and which inspired Melville's classic <IT>Moby Dick, <RO>and recounts its doomed crew's ninety-day attempt to survive whale attacks and the elements on three tiny lifeboats. 125,000 first printing. First serial, <IT>Vanity Fair. <RO>