Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrick,
is a leading authority on the history of Nantucket Island. His In
the Heart of the Seawon the National
Book Award. His latest book is Sea of
Glory, about the epic U.S. Exploring
Expedition of 1838–1842. His other books include Away
off Shore: Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602-1890 (whichRussell
Baker called “indispensable”) and Abram’s
Eyes: The Native American Legend of Nantucket Island (“a
classic of historical truthtelling,” according to Stuart
Frank, director of the Kendall
Whaling Museum). He has written an introduction to a new edition of Joseph
Hart‘s Miriam
Coffin, or The Whale Fisherman, a
Nantucket novel (first published in 1834) that Melvillerelied
upon for information about the island when writing Moby
Dick. Phillbick’s Why
Read Moby-Dick?was a finalist for the
New England Society Book Award.
Philbrick, a champion sailboat racer, has also written extensively about
sailing, including The Passionate Sailor(1987) and Second Wind: A
Sunfish Sailor’s Odyssey. He was editor in chief of the classic Yaahting:
A Parody (1984).
In his role as director of the Egan Institute of Maritime Studies, Philbrick,
who is also a research fellow at the Nantucket Historical Association, gives
frequent talks about Nantucket and sailing. He has appeared on “NBC Today
Weekend”, A&E’s “Biography” series, and National Public Radio and has served as
a consultant for the movie “Moby Dick”, shown on the USA Network. He received a
bachelor of Arts from Brown University and a Master of Arts in American
Literature from Duke. He lives on Natucket with his wife and two children.