Sea of Glory

America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrated by: Scott Brick

"A treasure of a book."—David McCullough

The harrowing story of a pathbreaking naval expedition that set out to map the entire Pacific Ocean, dwarfing Lewis and Clark with its discoveries, from the New York Times bestselling author of Valiant Ambition and In the Hurricane's Eye.

A New York Times Notable Book

America's first frontier was not the West; it was the sea, and no one writes more eloquently about that watery wilderness than Nathaniel Philbrick. In his bestselling In the Heart of the Sea Philbrick probed the nightmarish dangers of the vast Pacific. Now, in an epic sea adventure, he writes about one of the most ambitious voyages of discovery the Western world has ever seen—the U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842. On a scale that dwarfed the journey of Lewis and Clark, six magnificent sailing vessels and a crew of hundreds set out to map the entire Pacific Ocean and ended up naming the newly discovered continent of Antarctica, collecting what would become the basis of the Smithsonian Institution. Combining spellbinding human drama and meticulous research, Philbrick reconstructs the dark saga of the voyage to show why, instead of being celebrated and revered as that of Lewis and Clark, it has—until now—been relegated to a footnote in the national memory.

Winner of the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize

Critic reviews

"Fascinating and meticulous . . . A wonderful retelling."
—The New York Times Book Review

"A breathtaking account of one of history's greatest adventures."
—Entertainment Weekly

"A worthy successor to In the Heart of the Sea."
—The Wall Street Journal

"Sea of Glory is a grand saga of scientific and nautical accomplishment."
—Newsweek

well read and told

I didn’t know much about the US Ex Ex beforehand, now I do! I think if you are an expert in the subject it might not be for you, but for a layperson it is a good introduction. Slightly too much pathos for my taste, but that is often the case with (especially US) books about national glory.

Super book! What a gem

I didn’t know what to expect when I started listening. But, it turned out to be quite a gem. The reading is phenomenal, Philbrick as usual is an outstanding writer, and the story was top notch.

I knew very little about this expedition, and the story turned out to be one of the better ones I’ve ever read. I must listen for anybody who’s interested in American history or exploration.

An interesting story about an unknown success

I picked this book out of the four we could choose from to read/review in my graduate class. I'm glad I did. At times, the story gets bogged down in details (I've learned more about old wooden sailing ships than I really ever wanted to know), but overall, it's a fascinating look at this voyage and its leader. In my group discussing the book, we all agreed that Wilkes was a pretty terrible leader. But did that matter? He got the job done--they discovered Antarctica, they went to new lands, they mapped new lands, they brought home knowledge. The expedition was a success. On the other hand, hardly anyone knows about it today. So was it really a success? I would recommend looking up the 2 videos on this expedition that are on C-Span if you want to know more about the expedition and see some of the artifacts and objects associated with it.

If you like history, anthropology, or learning about the way Americans viewed past cultures, you'll like this. It's detailed, but Philbrick writes in an interesting style. The narrator is excellent. I'm glad I "had" to read this one.

almost as good the second time

What made the experience of listening to Sea of Glory the most enjoyable?

very good narration gave meaning to the words

Would you recommend Sea of Glory to your friends? Why or why not?

yes as Nathaniel Philbrick is one of my favorite history authors writing style is superb. This topic is probably his least known and that simply shouldn't be given the enormous contributions of the US Ex Ex.

Which scene was your favorite?

Exploration of Antarctica

Any additional comments?

I had read the printed version of the book when it was new so this was a really good comparison for me. the audiobook was tougher to follow but that's usually true as compared to having the pages in your hand.

When Leaders Fail

A gripping story of exploration, conflict and a flawed leader. Anyone interested in history, science and exploration would enjoy this book.