A review by darwin8u
Away Off Shore: Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602-1890 by Nathaniel Philbrick
3.0
This book on the island of Nantucket
With chapters all made to half-share it.
Philbrick penned bios real fast,
'bout Pokanokets & the Quaker caste,
"I'll either be Egan's peon, or I'll lay it."
I've been a fan of Nantucket for years. Remotely. The last couple years I've been out a couple times to the Whale Museum, etc., and biking with my family East along Polpis Rd to the Sankaty Head Light and back to the Straight Warf along Milestone Rd. I've not yet bought those funky Nantucket Red shorts, but that is only a temporary limitation. My interest was first kindled by Moby-Dick, and later by Philbrick's book about the Whaleship Essex (that inspired Moby-Dick). I've grown to enjoy Philbrick's style as a popular biographer, so figured I might as well read this early book about an Island I love and a people who are fascinating to me.
This was Philbrick's first book, and as the title basically suggests, it is about the island (and mostly people) of Nantucket. Written as a series of biographical essays of important historical figures, this approach allows Philbrick to explore the character and people of Nantucket through selected examples through time. This approach leaves many gaps, but for a subject like Nantucket, there will always be gaps and myths to contend with.
Some of those Philbrick covers in this book:
1. Mashop, Roqua, Wonoma, Autopscot
2. Thomas Macy
3. Tristram Coffin
4. King Philip, JOhn Gibbs, Peter Folger
5. James Coffin, John Gardner
6. Ichabod Paddock
7. Mary Starbuck
8. Richard Macy
9. Timothy White
10. Peter Folger
11. Kezia Coffin
12. Jethro Coffin & William Rotch
13. William Coffin
14. Obed Starbuck & George Pollard
15. Absalom Boston & Abram Quary
16. Maria Mitchell
17. FC Sanford
With chapters all made to half-share it.
Philbrick penned bios real fast,
'bout Pokanokets & the Quaker caste,
"I'll either be Egan's peon, or I'll lay it."
I've been a fan of Nantucket for years. Remotely. The last couple years I've been out a couple times to the Whale Museum, etc., and biking with my family East along Polpis Rd to the Sankaty Head Light and back to the Straight Warf along Milestone Rd. I've not yet bought those funky Nantucket Red shorts, but that is only a temporary limitation. My interest was first kindled by Moby-Dick, and later by Philbrick's book about the Whaleship Essex (that inspired Moby-Dick). I've grown to enjoy Philbrick's style as a popular biographer, so figured I might as well read this early book about an Island I love and a people who are fascinating to me.
This was Philbrick's first book, and as the title basically suggests, it is about the island (and mostly people) of Nantucket. Written as a series of biographical essays of important historical figures, this approach allows Philbrick to explore the character and people of Nantucket through selected examples through time. This approach leaves many gaps, but for a subject like Nantucket, there will always be gaps and myths to contend with.
Some of those Philbrick covers in this book:
1. Mashop, Roqua, Wonoma, Autopscot
2. Thomas Macy
3. Tristram Coffin
4. King Philip, JOhn Gibbs, Peter Folger
5. James Coffin, John Gardner
6. Ichabod Paddock
7. Mary Starbuck
8. Richard Macy
9. Timothy White
10. Peter Folger
11. Kezia Coffin
12. Jethro Coffin & William Rotch
13. William Coffin
14. Obed Starbuck & George Pollard
15. Absalom Boston & Abram Quary
16. Maria Mitchell
17. FC Sanford