audio by title leviathan the history of whaling in america

Thar she blows! Whaling was one of the most important industries in the history of America. Some men made fortunes from it, but the life of a whaler was typically miserable and extremely dangerous. We talk with writer and historian ERIC JAY DOLIN about how whaling began in America and the heady days when Nantucket was the whaling capital of the world and tried to secede from America. Dolin’s rollicking history is titled LEVIATHAN: THE HISTORY OF WHALING IN AMERICA.