BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870
Stock photo: cover may vary

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 Paperback - 2000

by Lisa Norling

Add to wish list

Reader reviews for Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870

From the publisher

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the whaling industry in New England sent hundreds of ships and thousands of men to distant seas on voyages lasting up to five years. In Captain Ahab Had a Wife, Lisa Norling taps a rich vein of sources -- including women's and men's letters and diaries, shipowners' records, Quaker meeting minutes and other church records, newspapers and magazines, censuses, and city directories -- to reconstruct the lives of the "Cape Horn widows" left behind onshore.

Norling begins with the emergence of colonial whalefishery on the island of Nantucket and then follows the industry to mainland New Bedford in the nineteenth century, tracking the parallel shift from a patriarchal world to a more ambiguous Victorian culture of domesticity. Through the sea-wives' compelling and often poignant stories, Norling exposes the painful discrepancies between gender ideals and the reality of maritime life and documents the power of gender to shape both economic development and individual experience.

From the jacket flap

A social history that uncovers the lives of maritime women in New England villages whose men were whalers during the 18th and 19th centuries. Norling draws from a variety of sources--including women's and men's letters and diaries, shipowners' records, church records, newspapers and magazines, censuses, and city directories to uncover the women's often poignant and painful stories.

Details

  • Title Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870
  • Author Lisa Norling
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition 1st
  • Pages 392
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.A.
  • Publication date 2000-10-16
  • Features Bibliography, Index, Maps
  • ISBN 9780807848708 / 0807848700
  • Weight 1.25 lbs (0.57 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.26 x 6.22 x 0.92 in (23.52 x 15.80 x 2.34 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 19th Century
    • Cultural Region: New England
    • Sex & Gender: Feminine
  • Category History - U.S.
  • Library of Congress subjects Whaling - Massachusetts - New Bedford -, Women - Massachusetts - New Bedford - Social
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 99088026
  • Dewey Decimal Code 338.372

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 02/01/2001, Page 1140

About the author

Lisa Norling, associate professor of history at the University of Minnesota, is coeditor of Iron Men, Wooden Women: Gender and Seafaring in the Atlantic World, 1700-1920.

More Copies for Sale

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870

by Norling, Lisa

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
3
Seller
Item price
A$10.99
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of North Carolina Press, 2000. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.99
Free Delivery to USA
Captain Ahab Had a Wife : New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870

Captain Ahab Had a Wife : New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870

by Lisa Norling

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$10.99
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of North Carolina Press, 2000. Paperback. Very Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.99
Free Delivery to USA
Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American...
Stock photo: cover may vary

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American Culture)

by Norling, Lisa

  • Used
  • first
Condition
Used
Edition
1
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$11.68
A$5.82 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
The University of North Carolina Press, 2000-10-15. 1. Used - Good. A copy that may have been read, minimal to no highlighting/underlining of text, no missing pages. May have a remainder mark. Spine may show signs of wear. Could be a library copy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.68
A$5.82 Delivery to USA
Captain Ahab Had a Wife : New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870
Stock photo: cover may vary

Captain Ahab Had a Wife : New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870

by Norling, Lisa

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$12.93
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of North Carolina Press. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.93
Free Delivery to USA
Captain Ahab Had a Wife : New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870
Stock photo: cover may vary

Captain Ahab Had a Wife : New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870

by Norling, Lisa

  • Used
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$12.93
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of North Carolina Press. Used - Like New. Used book that is in almost brand-new condition. May contain a remainder mark. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.93
Free Delivery to USA
Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American...
Stock photo: cover may vary

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American Culture)

by Norling, Lisa

  • Used
  • Paperback
  • first
Condition
Used
Edition
First Paperback
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$15.42
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of North Carolina Press, 2000-10-16. First Paperback. paperback. Used: Good. 6.12x0.87x9.25. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$15.42
Free Delivery to USA
Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American...
Stock photo: cover may vary

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American Culture)

by Norling, Lisa

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$15.71
A$5.82 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
The University of North Carolina Press. Used - Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$15.71
A$5.82 Delivery to USA
Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American...
Stock photo: cover may vary

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American Culture)

by Norling, Lisa

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$17.04
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
The University of North Carolina Press. paperback. Good. 9.5X6.5X1.5. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$17.04
Free Delivery to USA
Captain Ahab Had a Wife
More photos

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 Gender and American Culture

by Norling, Lisa

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$21.90
A$7.28 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, [2000]. Paperback. Very Good. 8vo. xiv, [2] , 372, [2] pp. Bound in illustrated wrappers. Black and white illustrations and maps. Includes bibliography and index. Very Good, text clean, but the final page with publisher's list has previous owner's detailed and , admiring description, in black felt tip pen, of submariner and composer of sea shanties Tom Lewis, with various drawings on verso, light rubbing to wrappers.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$21.90
A$7.28 Delivery to USA
Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American...
Stock photo: cover may vary

Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Gender and American Culture)

by Norling, Lisa

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780807848708 / 0807848700
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$24.07
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of North Carolina Press, 2000-10-16. Paperback. Good. 9x6x0. Thank you for supporting Last Word Books and independent bookstores. Trade paperback. Good. Minor shelf wear to covers/corners. Clean, tight binding. Thank you for supporting Last Word Books and independent bookstores.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$24.07
Free Delivery to USA