Books Mentioned in This Episode

Podcast: Freakonomics Radio

Episode: The First Great American Industry | Freakonomics Radio | Episode 549

Here’s a list of all the books mentioned in this episode, complete with an Amazon buy link and quotes from the episode.

Moby Dick Cover

Moby Dick

by Herman Melville

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"The whale itself became central to our art and culture. Part of what makes Moby Dick funny is that there's a hatred for a specific animal."
In the Heart of the Sea Cover

In the Heart of the Sea

by Nathaniel Philbrick

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"Philbrick has written several well-regarded books of maritime history. The one most relevant to our discussion today is called In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whale Ship Essex."
Moby Dick Cover

Moby Dick

by Herman Melville

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"The Essex was the real-life inspiration for Moby Dick by Herman Melville, the whale of all whaling books."
Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America Cover

Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America

by Eric Jay Dolin

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"So I'd like to read you a short passage from the book Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America by Eric J. Dolan."
Moby Dick Cover

Moby Dick

by Herman Melville

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"The most famous whale ship disaster was the Essex; just about every kid in America learned the story of this ship that was rammed by a whale and which Melville would use for the climax of Moby Dick."
Moby Dick Cover

Moby Dick

by Herman Melville

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"That again is Nathaniel Philbrick; for my money, Moby Dick is America's Bible."
Moby Dick Cover

Moby Dick

by Herman Melville

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"The ship in Moby Dick isn't called the Essex; it's called the Pequod."
In the Heart of the Sea Cover

In the Heart of the Sea

by Nathaniel Philbrick

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"Philbrick, remember, wrote a non-fiction book about the Essex tragedy called In the Heart of the Sea."
Random Acts of Medicine Cover

Random Acts of Medicine

by Anupam B. Jena, Christopher Worsham

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"One more thing: if you've enjoyed our Freakonomics MD podcast, you might like to know that the host Babu Jenna has a new book out right now that he co-authored with Christopher Worsham; it's called Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health, and you can hear a chapter of it."