Two Years Before the Mast: And Twenty-Four Years After [Paperback]

Richard Henry Dana (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

Avast there all you Patrick O'Brian fans! Here is a personal narrative of the seaman's life in the age of sail: 1815-1882, and a classic of nautical literature. Dana was a Harvard student recovering from the measles when he decided it would be more interesting to do so at sea as a common sailor. In 1834 he joined a two-year voyage rounding Cape Horn to deliver cargo to California. All the color and detail of daily life at sea as well as descriptions of various ports. Rousing!

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: The Narrative Press (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589761022
• ISBN-13: 978-1589761025
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,984,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, You Must Read This!, February 19, 2002

By 

C. Sellers "oncogenic" (belton, tx United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Two Years Before the Mast: And Twenty-Four Years After (Paperback)

I know many people cringe at the thought of reading a narrative that seems to greatly resemble Moby Dick, but I tell you this better than Moby Dick and easy makes it into my top ten books I have ever read! Occassionally the text bogs down in obscure sailing terms, but that is an exception and not a rule, otherwise, it is sheer poetry and lights the fire of wonder of exploration, and makes a sea voyage from almost 200 years ago spring to life. I give you my favorite short little passage, which explains it so much better.

"So quiet too, was the sea, and so steady the breeze, that if the sails had been sculptured marble they could not have been more motionless. Not a ripple upon the surface of the canvas; not even a quivering of the extreme edges of the sail, so perfectly were they distended by the breeze. I was so lost in the sight that I forgot the presence of the man who came out with me, until he said, 'How quietly they do their work!'"

Dana so perfectly described sea life you will be a part of the crew, you will feel his fear, his wonder, his joy and his awe.

You will not regret reading this, philosophy disguised as a travelogue, a must-read!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books, June 19, 2005

By 

Marcus Peacock (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Two Years Before the Mast: And Twenty-Four Years After (Paperback)

I reread this book about every three years. It never gets stale. It intertwines history, philosophy, and a personal travelogue in a book that is so well paced and entertaining to read that it is hard to imagine anyone that would not find it worthwhile. And if you are interested in sailing ships or what California was like in the 1830s, this is a must read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Years Before the Mast, June 12, 2007

By 

H. Dauwalter (Simi Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This is a great book about the merchant trade sailors on the Coast of California during the end of the Spanish period about 1835. Cattle hides were the hot commodity and large sailing ships moved up and down the coast for a whole year collecting hides from ranchos at the various ports. Richard Dana had been a young college student when a failure in his eyesight made it difficult for him to read so he decided to try his hand as a merchant marine. Leaving from Boston Harbor he sailed around the Horn on his way to and from the west coast of America. His tale of adventures both on the sea and land is engrossing and educational, as to the nature of life during our country's infancy. Any student of California history MUST read this book!