Press Releases

MUSEUM ANNOUNCES ANNUAL MELVILLE BIRTHDAY LECTURE

NEW BEDFORD, MA - The New Bedford Whaling Museum announces that a lecture will be taking place on Thursday, July 30, 2009 at the Museum by D. Graham Burnett. He will present the annual Melville Birthday Lecture, "Trying Leviathan," at 7:30PM. Mr. Burnett has accumulated information from his visits to New Bedford, which led him to publish the award-winning book entitled Trying Leviathan: The Nineteen-Century New York Court Case that put the Whale on Trial and Challenged the Order of Nature.

As a science history professor at Princeton University, Mr. Burnett has been noted as "a brilliant writer, and he has transformed a nineteenth-century legal battle over the taxonomic classification of whales into a wonderful and engaging book," according to Richard Ellis, marine painter and noted author. Not only is his writing style admired, but his unique observations on the whaling industry are valued by readers, both aware and unaware, of this subject matter. Nathaniel Philbrick, author of The Mayflower, notes, "in addition to providing a fascinating and provocative look at the relationship between science and culture in early nineteenth-century New York, Burnett writes eloquently about how the whalemen regarded their mysterious and awe-inspiring prey."

Mr. Burnett is welcomed by the Melville Society Cultural Project, a program resulting from a partnership between the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the Melville Society since the year 2000. The objective of this partnership is to relive and share the knowledge of Herman Melville's life, writings, and the time period in which he lived. The Melville Society Cultural Project enables teachers, students, and tourists to discover this world-renown, American writer's compositions—influencing scholars such as D. Graham Burnett.

The impact of New Bedford's history leaves scholars, such as Mr. Burnett, with admirations for a city—rich in whaling culture that supports the importance of historical preservation.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world's most comprehensive museum devoted to the global story of whales and whaling. The cornerstone of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the Museum is located in the heart of the city's historic downtown at 18 Johnny Cake Hill and is open daily, year round. The public are invited to become part of the Whaling Museum online community at flickr.com, facebook.com, and blog at www.whalingmuseumblog.org. For a complete calendar of events, visit the Museum online at www.whalingmuseum.org