Whale's tail? Nope, tale.

I quite highly recommend that you read a thrilling tome about the history of whaling in America by Eric Jay Dolin. The book, Leviathan, is absolutely brills, really, with no detail left unturned and a comprehensive history of England and the role its "entrepreneurs" and "explorers" played on the entire practice.And for those of you in the Massachusetts area like myself, it's an excellent local history--with a particularly strong focus on Nantucket, green hands, and the weird superstitions whaling communities held in the early days of the Americans. What's more, there are a number of thrilling tales about the role of Native Americans, which I can always dig, too, since, welp, I am one.File Under: Epic storytelling makes this dense read feel less like learning and more like adventure.