In The Heart of the Sea; the sinking of the whaleship Essex is about the true story that inspired Moby Dick. I much prefer it to the novel. It is shorter and more a tale of survival than anything else. The Essex, in 1820, was the first ship ever stove in by a Sperm whale. The book details the ordeals of the survivors and those who didn't survive and analyzes the social climate of Nantucket in the early 19th century.
Mudlark's Ghosts by Ian Scott. This book,tells three interwoven stories.The first is why he spent 12 years restoring a some ways badly built interpretation of L. Francis Herreshoff's leeboard sharpie Ketch Meadow Lark.The second is how that experience shaped his appreciation of wooden boats and his outlook on life. The third was his efforts to understand how decisions made by four dead men affected the durability and performance of his boat and the challenges and frustrations he faced in restoring her.Wonderfully written and highly instructive.
