A masterpiece of storytelling, this epic saga pits Ahab, a brooding and fanatical sea captain, against the great white whale that crippled him. In telling the tale of Ahab's passion for revenge and the fateful voyage that ensued, Melville produced far more than the narrative of a hair-raising journey; Moby-Dick is a tale for the ages that sounds the deepest depths of the human soul. Interspersed with graphic sketches of life aboard a whaling vessel,...

Come discover the rich history the United States has in the whaling industry. See the huge ships and learn how the whalers worked and lived on the ships. How the whalers and their families survived during their long periods of separation while their husbands and fathers were out to sea. This program takes you on a facinating journey back in time and tracks the history of the United States whaling industry.

Martha's Vineyard became an integral part of the whaling industry at the beginning of the eighteenth century and inspired a lasting romantic enthusiasm for life on the open ocean. From shore whaling to daring voyages into the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the insular whaling community offered a tempting path for many young Vineyarders to rise from cabin boy to captain. Local businesses were enticed by the potential profit from whaling voyages,...

Sales agreements and bills of sale; bills for repairs, supplies, equipment, towing, harboring, and other items; papers relating to the hiring, pay, and conditions of crew members; marine insurance records; shipping articles; accounts, whaling inventories, and agreements relating to the division of proceeds of voyages; bills of lading; landing certificates; affidavits of U.S. consuls in various world ports; and other materials. Vessels, sailing from...