A Game of Chance: The Story of British North American South Seas Whaling

It's almost impossible to imagine spending eight months at sea "without once putting foot on land." But that's exactly what whalers experienced when playing the dangerous "game of chance," hunting down leviathans for oil and bone—all for a "lay," or share, of the vessel's spoils. A Game of Chance is the first comprehensive, in-depth study of British North American South Seas whaling. Author Andrea Kirkpatrick takes readers on a series of fascinating and sometimes fantastical journeys as she...