Sea of Glory

America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842

De: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrado por: Dennis Boutsikaris

In 1838, the U.S. government launched the largest discovery voyage the Western world had ever seen; six sailing vessels and 346 men bound for the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Four years later, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, or Ex. Ex. as it was known, returned with an astounding array of accomplishments and discoveries: 87,000 miles logged, 280 Pacific islands surveyed, 4,000 zoological specimens collected, including 2,000 new species, and the discovery of the continent of Antarctica. And yet at a human level, the project was a disaster. Not only had 28 men died and 2 ships been lost, but a series of sensational court-martials had also ensued that pitted the expedition's controversial leader, Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, against almost every officer under his command.

Though comparable in importance and breadth of success to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Ex. Ex. has been largely forgotten. Now, the celebrated Nathaniel Philbrick recreates this chapter of American maritime history in all its triumph and scandal.

Like the award-winning In the Heart of the Sea, Sea of Glory combines meticulous history with spellbinding human drama as it circles the globe from the palm-fringed beaches of the South Pacific to the treacherous waters off Antarctica and to the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and, finally, to a court-martial aboard a ship anchored off New York City.

©2003 Nathaniel Philbrick (P)2003 Penguin Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Fascinating and meticulous.... A wonderful retelling." (The New York Times Book Review)

"A breathtaking account of one of history's greatest adventures." (Entertainment Weekly)

"A worthy successor to In the Heart of the Sea." (The Wall Street Journal)

Great Audio. Revealing Story.

I can understand why no one cared to ever mention Charles Wilkes. He was a first class nerd who went mad with power and let his ego get the best of him. It is hard to trust him because he was so uncertain about many things. All of the men let, "rank" get in the way of the purpose of the voyage.

Nathaniel Philbrick does an amazing job yet again. If you are looking for another "In The Heart of the Sea" you won't find it in "Sea of Glory". I was hoping for more excitement and adventure but all I got was petty boys picking on each other on a ship and did not know how to get along for the sake of the mission. Needless to say this entire book was a "Pork Sword" measuring contest between men.

Nathaniel Philbrick does a great job of uncovering the truth behind the US. Ex. Ex. and Charles Wilkes.

Waste of time and money

This book is an abbreviation of the original story. It is a mess and a travesty to the original story. I have ended my stay with Audible because of their oblique presentation of this mess.

A Muddled Mess

The exposition was a pretty muddled mess -- while I'm sure Philbrick has recorded it well -- it isn't much fun to read about it. I much prefered and enjoyed Philbrick's "Mayflower" and "Essex".