American whale oil lit the world. The Industrial Revolution couldn’t have happened without it. Connecticut was part of the whaling industry of the nineteenth century that sent thousands of American ships manned by tens of thousands of men to hunt whales across the world’s oceans. Stonington, Mystic, New London, and New Haven were part of New England’s predominance in successful whaling. In fact, New London, Connecticut is known today as the “Whaling City”.
My guest Eric Jay Dolan is the author of sixteen award-winning books on maritime history. In this episode, we will be talking about the history of American whaling taken from his work in Leviathan The History of Whaling in America published in 2007 byW.W. Norton Press. His latest book, is Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World. Dolin lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
Note: Listeners may find this episode disturbing. Whaling was a brutal trade - we are describing the industry in its historic context.
To find out more about the other books that Eric has written, go to his website: www.ericjaydolin.com/
His website also has information on upcoming events he’s doing and contact information. He is available for book talks and lectures both in person and remotely.
You’ll find the link to the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park here:
Don’t forget that our August 1st episode will feature Mystic Seaport’s new whaling exhibit.
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This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.
Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!
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