Nathaniel Philbrick (born June 11, 1956) is an American author of history, winner of the National Book Award, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His

maritime history Maritime history is the study of human interaction with and activity at sea. It covers a broad thematic element of history that often uses a global approach, although national and regional histories remain predominant. As an academic subject, it ...

, '' In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,'' which tells the true story that inspired Melville's ''

Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler, whaling ship ''Pequod (Moby- ...

'', won the 2000

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

for Nonfiction and was adapted as a film in 2015."National Book Awards – 2000"

National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...

. Retrieved 2012-02-20.Drew, Bernard. ''100 Most Popular Nonfiction Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies.'' Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited, 2007.

Personal life

Nathaniel Philbrick was born on June 11, 1956, in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, the son of Marianne (Dennis) and Thomas Philbrick, an English professor. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has lived in

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

, Massachusetts since 1986."Nathaniel Philbrick: About"
Retrieved 2011-04-19. Philbrick is married to Melissa Douthart Philbrick, former Executive Director of Remain Nantucket. They have two children, Jennie and Ethan. He is a leading authority on the history of the island of Nantucket.

Education

Philbrick attended Linden Elementary School and graduated from

Taylor Allderdice High School Taylor Allderdice High School is a public high school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It opened in 1927 and is part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools district. It was named for industrialist and Squirr ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania. He earned a BA in English from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

and an MA in American literature from

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

"Backgrounder - Nathaniel Philbrick." Smithsonian Institution Libraries. No date.
Retrieved 2009-05-26. where he was a James B. Duke Fellow. Philbrick was Brown University’s first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978, the same year he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, Rhode Island.

Career

After graduate school, Philbrick worked for four years as an editor at ''Sailing World'' magazine. He then worked as a freelancer for a number of years, during which time he was the primary caregiver for his two children while writing and editing several books about sailing, including ''The Passionate Sailor, Second Wind'', and '' Yaahting: A Parody''. In 1986, Philbrick moved to Nantucket with his wife Melissa and their two children. In 1994, he published his first book about the island’s history, ''Away Off Shore'', followed in 1998 by a study of the Nantucket’s native legacy, ''Abram’s Eyes''. He is the founding director of Nantucket’s

Egan Maritime Institute Egan may refer to: People * Egan (surname) * Egan (given name) Places in the United States * Egan, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Egan, Louisiana, an unincorporated community and census-designated place * Egan, South Dakota, a city * Eg ...

and is a research fellow at the

Nantucket Historical Association Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachus ...

Works

Nonfiction

* '' Yaahting: A Parody''. 1984. * ''The Passionate Sailor''. Contemporary Press, 1987. * ''Away Off Shore: Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602-1890''. Penguin, 1993. * ''Abram's Eyes: The Native American Legacy of Nantucket Island''. Mill Hill Press, 1998. *''Second Wind: A Sunfish Sailor's Odyssey''. Mill Hill Press, 1999. * '' In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex''. Penguin, 1999. * ''Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery: the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842''. New York: Viking, 2001. * '' Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex''. Putnam Juvenile, 2002. * '' Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War''. New York: Viking, 2006. * ''The Mayflower and the Pilgrims' New World: The Story of Plymouth Colony for Young Readers''. Putnam Juvenile, 2006. * ''The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn''. New York: Viking, 2010. *''Why Read Moby Dick?'' New York: Viking, 2010. * ''Bunker Hill: a City, a Siege, a Revolution''. New York: Viking, 2013. * ''Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution'' New York: Viking, 2016. * '' In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown'', 2018. * ''Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy'', New York: Viking, 2021.

Adaptations

''In the Heart of the Sea'' is the basis of the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

motion picture of the same name, directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

and starring

Chris Hemsworth Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. He rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series ''Home and Away'' (2004–2007) before beginning a film career in Hollywood. In the Marvel Cinemati ...

, Benjamin Walker,

Ben Wishaw Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor and producer. After winning a British Independent Film Award for his performance in ''My Brother Tom'' (2001), he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the titl ...

Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy (; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. Originally the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, he turned down a record deal in the late 1990s and began acting on stage and in short and ...

Brendan Gleeson Brendan Gleeson (born 29 March 1955) is an Irish actor and film director. He is the recipient of three IFTA Awards, two British Independent Film Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award and has been nominated twice for a BAFTA Award and four times for ...

, and

Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications h ...

, released in December 2015. The book also inspired a 2001 ''

Dateline A dateline is a brief piece of text included in news articles that describes where and when the story was written or filed, though the date is often omitted. In the case of articles reprinted from wire services, the distributing organization is ...

'' special on NBC as well as the 2010 two-hour PBS ''

American Experience ''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...

'' film "Into the Deep" by Ric Burns. ''Bunker Hill'' has been optioned by Warner Bros. for feature film adaptation with

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...

attached to direct.''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

''
"Book Deals: Week of September 30, 2013"
/ref> In 2016, screenwriter Aaron Stockard ('' The Town'', ''

Gone Baby Gone ''Gone Baby Gone'' is a 2007 American crime thriller film directed by Ben Affleck, in his directorial debut. Affleck co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Stockard based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. The film stars Casey Affl ...

'') was signed to the project.

References

Sources

* * *

External links

*
American Merchant Marine Museum

Little Bighorn, Large Legend, Roger D. McGrath, The Wall Street Journal, 18 June 2010
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philbrick, Nathaniel American maritime historians Writers from Pittsburgh Brown University alumni 1956 births Living people Duke University alumni National Book Award winners American male non-fiction writers Taylor Allderdice High School alumni Historians from Pennsylvania Philbrick family