Thomas Nickerson and Owen Chase were two of the eight surviving crew members of the Ship Essex.Thomas Philbrick is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Pittsburg and has edited critical editions of the works of Joshua Slocum and Henry Dana Jr. Nathaniel Philbrick is the author of 'In the Heart of the Sea' and director of the Egan Institute of Maritime Studies. He is also a research fellow at the Nantucket Historical Association.

• The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale - Thomas Nickerson, Owen Chase, and Others Edited and Introduced by Thomas Philbrick and Nathaniel PhilbrickIntroductionSuggestions for Further ReadingTHE ESSEX NARRATIVESFirst Reports1. The Paddack Letter2. The Macy LetterThe Mate's Story1. Chase's Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex2. Herman Melville's Annotation of Chase's NarrativeThe Boy's Story1. Nickerson's "Desultory Sketches"2. Nickerson's Letter to LewisThe Captain's Story1. Excerpt from Ridgely's Letterbook2. Excerpt from Wilke's Autobiography3. Excerpt from Tyreman and Bennet's JournalThe Boatsteerer's Story1. An Account of the Loss of the Essex2. Excerpt from the Journal of the SurryExtracts: Memories and ApocryphaNotes