Questions to Guide Research for Your Presentation
- What was the American whaling industry like in the nineteenth century, and what was life like aboard a whaling vessel?
- What made sperm oil a valuable commodity during the antebellum period? What role did sperm oil play in the industrial revolution?
- What was the experience of the crew of the whaling ship the Essex, and how might it have influenced Melville’s novel?
Recommended by Dr. Helwig
DVD: Into the deep - America, whaling & the worldCall Number: On Reserve - Ask at Circulation Desk
Relevant Websites and Image Sources
- Life Onboard a WhaleshipFrom the National Park Service
Journal Articles
- Bison, Elephants, and Sperm Whales: Keystone Species in the Industrial RevolutionOn the relationship between sperm oil and the Industrial Revolution
- The City That Lit the WorldOn the relationship between sperm oil and the Industrial Revolution
- 1,000 FATHOMS DOWNOn the value of sperm oil
Encyclopedia Articles (Topic Overviews)
- WhalingFrom: Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century
- Sperm WhalesFrom: Princeton Encyclopedia of Mammals
- Marine Mammals: Sperm Whales and Beaked WhalesFrom: Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences
Primary Sources
- A history of the American whale fisheryFrom the Library of Congress
Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex: the Complete Illustrated Edition by Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9780760348123
