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 | | Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 by Nathaniel Philbrick ISBN-10: 9780670032310 ISBN-10: 0-670-03231-X ISBN-13: 9780670032310 ISBN-13: 978-0-670-03231-0 Hardcover 2003-11-10 Viking Adult Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description In 1838, the U.S. government launched the largest discovery voyage the Western world had ever seen-6 sailing vessels and 346 men bound for the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Four years later, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, or Ex. Ex. as it was known, returned with an astounding array of accomplishments and discoveries: 87,000 miles logged, 280 Pacific islands surveyed, 4,000 zoological specimens collected, including 2,000 new species, and the discovery of the continent of Antarctica. And yet at a human level, the project was a disaster-not only had 28 men died and 2 ships been lost, but a series of sensational courts-martial had also ensued that pitted the expedition's controversial leader, Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, against almost every officer under his command. Though comparable in importance and breadth of success to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Ex. Ex. has been largely forgotten. Now, the celebrated Nathaniel Philbrick re-creates this chapter of American maritime history in all its triumph and scandal. Like the award-winning In the Heart of the Sea, Sea of Glory combines meticulous history with spellbinding human drama as it circles the globe from the palm-fringed beaches of the South Pacific to the treacherous waters off Antarctica and to the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and, finally, to a court-martial aboard a ship of the line anchored off New York City. | ||
Amazon.com Review The expeditions of Magellan, Columbus, and Lewis and Clark have been well documented and are instantly familiar to anyone with even a passing interest in world history. But the average person is likely unaware of the U.S. Exploring Expedition or its mercurial leader, Charles Wilkes. This despite the numerous accomplishments and lasting legacy of the massive four-year project that involved six ships and hundreds of men. The "Ex. Ex.," as it came to be known, is credited with the discovery of Antarctica, the first accurate charting of what is now Oregon and Washington, the retrieval of thousands of new species of life, and the foundation of the Smithsonian Institution. Yet when Wilkes returned, instead of being hailed as a great man of science or a national hero, he was shunned by the President, ignored by the press, and was the subject of so much ill will on the part of his men that he was ultimately put on trial for a variety of offenses. In the portrayal presented in Nathaniel Philbrick's Sea of Glory, Wilkes is a passionate man, brash and enthusiastic, driven by seemingly impossible goals, many of which he actually accomplished. But he's also a petty, mean-spirited loner, egotistical enough to unilaterally give himself a promotion in the middle of the expedition. Without Wilkes' singularity of purpose, it's hard to imagine the mission being as successful as it was, but it's also hard to conceive a personality more poorly suited to leadership than the near-universally-despised Wilkes. Philbrick also skillfully reveals the insecurity behind the tyranny in excerpts from letters to Wilkes' wife, Jane. The accounts of the expedition's adventures are at various times exhilarating and tragic as the crew scales the volcanoes of Hawaii, becomes involved in a bloody war with Fijian natives, and struggles merely to stay alive while at the same time not killing Wilkes. Philbrick's compelling narrative and meticulous research provide a vivid picture of the triumphs and hardships of the exploration age. --John Moe | ||
Reviews | ||
Voyage of Discovery This is a terrific book about a unrecognized voyage in the 19th century, as America was still a young nation and finding its place in the world. The Voyage of Discovery probably merits much the same attention as the Lewis and Clark expedition, but never received it, in large part because of the excesses of the commanding officer. Although if this is a period of history that interests you, pre-Civil War America, you might want to read this in combination with Undaunted Courage : Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West Philbrick has a real talent for maritime history as evidenced by this, as well as In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex and to a lesser extent, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War where much of the book is on land. | ||
An edge of your seat page turner This book is fascinating from beginning to end. If you're one of those readers that are hesitant to read "historical" non fiction because you think such stories are slow and pedantic, then give this book a chance. You will be pleasantly suprised. This a true life adventure story that stands up to any fiction adventure tale. The story, about the U.S. exploring expedition of 1838 and the hardships of their journey, is an incredible story full of action, drama, suspense, political intrigue and tragedy. The fruits of this incredible journey across the globe would eventually give birth to the Smithsonion Institute. About a time when the country was trying to make its mark on the world as explorers and scientists, the story will lift your spirits and just might make you feel a sense of nationalism. | ||
Philbrick The Phenom I don't care for ships, water, ice bergs or warring natives. The manner inwhich our government operates, how it allocates monies, its lack of loyalty and support to those that dare or might cause criticism, not to mention exploring continents maybe never seen before or enduring ship wrecks on the west coast of the United States where only native Americans and seals have trodded; if all the above does not interest you, then you probably won't enjoy this book. But if you like adventure, maritime history, the clash of the titans (Spain, France, England and the upstart United States, and all of the above I described at the beginning of this review, then you will thoroughly enjoy this book. And if you like the manner inwhich Philbrick writes and documents and spins a fast moving yarn, you won't put this book down until you have finished it the first time and started to read it again. If you enjoyed his Mayflower Adventure and all that followed in that book, then you will thoroughly love this book and then look for everything that Philbrick has written. You might start next with In The Heart Of The Sea. So cut loose, give yourself some slack, and enjoy a book for the sheer pleasure of reading about history you have never heard of and the spinning of a tale by a master story teller. Be good to yourself and read Sea Of Glory. You can thank me later. | ||
Government Science! Read Carefully, Congress! A little crankish determination, a little sordid bickering, a heroic cruise on a sailing ship to the ends of the Earth, betrayal and exoneration - all elements of a great adventure book, written with verve and yet with careful scholarship. I'm amazed that so many other reviewers have given this eminently readable book only four stars. The publisher's marketing director made some terrible mistakes. The saga of Captain Wilkes - his triumphs, his shortcomings, his political court-martial - form the narrative backbone of this book, but there's more to it. There's a lot of fascinating history of the paradigmatic changes in science and technology that occurred during the first half of the 19th Century, the era that Paul Johnson describes as The Birth of the Modern. There's also an insightful depiction of American politics in that period, focusing for a change not on the issues that led to the Civil War but on the still-urgent question of the role of the federal government in funding infrastructure and development, in this case of scientific knowledge. The US Exploring Expedition was the federal government's largest investment of public money in scientific research before the space program, in adjusted dollars more expensive than the geological surveys after the Civil War - those of Clarence King and John Wesley Powell, which committed those fellows in Washington to subsidizing the "opening of the West" - and it was, though plagued with problems and disappointing to some of its advocates, a monumental success, an enormous contribution to the world's knowledge of itself. Without federal funding, it would never have occurred. That's the subtext to all the glory of exploration, isn't it? Without Isabela, no Columbus! The closest comparison to the US Exploring Expedition is the US Space Program, so fearfully politicized and handicapped by Republican administrations and congresses. Foresightful and generous support of the sciences is one of the justifying functions of government - democratic, oligarchic, monarchical - and since science, even as early as 1838, has become big and expensive, government can be of greatest value to humanity on a proportionate scale. The difficulty that its promoters had in getting the EE funded tells much about the inadequacy of capitalism, also; the "business" interests who insisted on immediate profitable returns from the scientific expedition came close to destroying the whole project. | ||
Sea of Glory Far beyond a mere historical naval documentary in book form. This book shows how we discovered so much about so many places. An easy read by one of the best authors of our time. See also Philbrick's excellent "Mayflower". | ||