Away Off Shore: Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602-1890 - Softcover

"Nathaniel Philbrick has written a gem of a book. Away Off Shore is meticulously detailed, filled with fine anecdotes, and a fascinating look at a fascinating place." --H. G. Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights

"Away Off Shore doesn't recount more of the same heroic stories we've all heard about early Nantucketers . . . Instead the author gives us--finally--a human story of real Nantucketers whose actions reflect the times and the hardships they endured trying to make a life on this island centuries ago." --Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror

A book about a tiny island with a huge history, from the New York Times bestselling author of Valiant Ambition and In the Hurricane's Eye.

“For everyone who loves Nantucket Island this is the indispensable book.” —Russell Baker

In his first book of history, Nathaniel Philbrick reveals the people and the stories behind what was once the whaling capital of the world. Beyond its charm, quaint local traditions, and whaling yarns, Philbrick explores the origins of Nantucket in this comprehensive history. From the English settlers who thought they were purchasing a “Native American ghost town” but actually found a fully realized society, through the rise and fall of the then thriving whaling industry, the story of Nantucket is a truly unique chapter of American history.