Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.Sample Book Insights: #1 The Essex was one of a fleet of more than seventy Nantucket whaleships in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in 1819. With whale-oil prices steadily climbing, the village of Nantucket was on its way to becoming one of the richest towns in America.#2 The Essex was a ship that had a reputation for being lucky. In July 1819, a comet appeared in the night sky, and islanders speculated that it was a sign of something unusual about to happen.#3 Nantucket was a small island that was home to many superstitious people, who were afraid of the sea. They had good reason to be superstitious, as the sea was an unpredictable force that could destroy their lives at any moment.#4 The Nantucket whaling industry was the first to use sperm whales for oil, which was much better than the right whale oil. But the rise of the Pacific sperm-whale fishery had an unfortunate side effect: instead of voyages that had usually taken nine months, two- and three-year trips became the norm.