"Be prepared for a wild ride through mudslides, volcanos, shark-infested oceans, and menacing mountains. With this Survive-o-pedia in hand, you have all you need to get out of any situation alive!"--P. [4] of cover.

Recounts the 1820 sinking of the whaleship "Essex" by an enraged sperm whale and how the crew of young men survived against impossible odds. Based on the author's adult book "In the Heart of the Sea."