Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea (Penguin Classics)

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Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea (Penguin Classics)
by Jr., Richard Henry Dana
from Penguin Classics

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Some missing diagrams?
  I ordered this book in large part because the library copy, also a paperback, had diagrams dipicting sailing ships and the names of each sail, rope, mast, etc. I presumed the original book had these diagrams and each copy as well. It is still a great story but it uses a lot of nautical terminology and without the diagram, I cannot fathom what is a stud sail, what is a ship, what is a brig.

• A classic from the days of sail
  This book has two distinct appeals--it is a compelling account of "the sailor's life" in 19th Century America as well as a historical account of 19th Century California. At the same time, this book is a classic and a thoroughly interesting narrative--one that influenced Herman Melville. It is also amazing to read the accounts of California before it was settled and became a state. It's pretty ironic that although the California coast is considered today to be one of the most beautiful parts of the country,... more info

• Reply to "Thar She Blows!" one star review
  1. "The first half of the book was great" makes the book worth three stars, not one. "If for whatever reason, you wish to find out exactly how a sailor lived, then go ahead, its a great book." makes it a 4 star book.
  2. The second half is even better than the first. It's the ONLY account of Mexican California by an American, but the descriptions couldn't be better written or more interesting, and not just because I'm a "Californico" (Spanish for resident of old California). I'm also a history and... more info

• Thrilling, tedious
  It took me quite a while to read this book; I wouldn't call it a page turner. But I'm quite sure I will remember it as vividly as almost any book I've ever read. It is a very detailed, true description of an exceptional, very-well-educated young man's two year stint on a trading ship which sailed from Boston around Cape Horn to a very primitive, pre-Gold-Rush, California and back. There isn't a whole lot of suspense because we know, since it's a true story, that the author makes it back. And there isn't a... more info

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