PPL is celebrating American whaling’s rich history at Central Library this Fall!

Eric Jay Dolin — author of LEVIATHAN: The History of Whaling in America

Saturday, October 20
free speaking program 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Central Library, 150 Empire Street
Barnard Rm, 3rd floor

Eric Jay Dolin will discuss his latest work: LEVIATHAN: The History of Whaling in America and present a slide show illustrating the history of whaling. Leviathan chronicles the rise and fall of a once mighty American industry and presents the most original and stirring history of American whaling in many decades.

“Leviathan is an exhaustive, richly detailed history of industrial American whaling. . . Dolin succeeds admirably at what he sets out to do: tell the story of one of the strangest industries in American history.” – Bruce Barcott, New York Times

“The best history of American whaling to come along in a generation.” – Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In The Heart of the Sea & Mayflower

Nicholoson Whaling Exhibit & Discussion

Nicholson Whaling Exhibit
open throughout October during normal hours.

PPL will exhibit items from its Nicholson Whaling Collection, the second largest collection of whaling logbooks in America. The exhibit will be Third Floor Marble Staircase Exhibit Area.

Exhibit Discussion, Saturday, October 20 - 1 pm

Special Collections Librarian Emeritus Philip Weimerskirch will conduct a brief discussion of the Nicholson Whaling Collection prior to Dolan's presentation.

Call 401-455-8021 or 455-8090 for details.

Women in Whaling, a book discussion — Sunday, October 28 - 2:00 PM

The whaling industry was dominated by ship owners, captains, and crew (to say nothing of the whale).women played a role as well.will be reading/discussing the role of women in the hey day of whaling through following two texts (participants may read either):

The Captain’s Best Mate: the Journal of Mary Chipman Lawrence on the Whaler ADDISON, 1856-1860.Edited by Stanton Garner.
This is a nonfiction journal, i.e. a whaling log by the wife of the Captain.

Ahab’s Wife: or the Star Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund.
This is a fictional work inspired by Moby Dick, with wife Una as the protagonist.

Participants will also receive a special up-close look at original whaling journals in the PPL Nicholson Whaling Collection. Copies of both books will be available at PPL’s Central Library, and may also be requested through any PPL branch.

Marc Songini, author of The Lost Fleet — Sunday, November 4 - 2:00 PM

In The Lost Fleet, Marc Songini chronicles the remarkable exploits of a true life whaling master, Thomas Williams, and his wife, as he struggles to catch whales and avoid the Confederate Navy and Arctic disaster.

“This fascinating, sprawling, richly detailed book is as big and epic as its subject, the whaling era of New Bedford and Nantucket, with harrowing tales of murder and marauders, civil war and predators, fleets frozen in place in the Arctic Ocean, starvation, deserters, madness and mayhem. This is the real stuff that Melville mined for Moby-Dick.” — Sam Coale, Providence Journal