Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea cover art

Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea

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Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea

By: Richard H. Dana Jr.
Narrated by: Hal Saunders
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About this listen

Two Years Before the Mast is an 1840 memoir by the author Richard Henry Dana. A Harvard graduate, he spent the years 1834 to 1836 as a sailor on a merchant ship on a voyage from Boston to California. The journey took them past Cape Horn on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet.

Dana provides detailed descriptions of ship life and the technical aspects of sailing. A chapter on California and its inhabitants offers valuable historical insights on the state which was then a foreign land.

Public Domain (P)2019 Museum Audiobooks Americas Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Collections Expeditions & Discoveries Sailing Sailing & Boating State & Local Travel Writing & Commentary United States Water Sports World Sports

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This story is captivating and very fascinating. It shares the thought of a common sailor as the author mentions, rarely described. It goes into great details of hardship and life aboard the old square riggers in their last few years of competitive service. The timescale in the book is very clear and it is humbling to read as the years go by the people vanish along with the trade. Only one critique is the narrator does not know how to pronounce "mizen".

Great depiction of a forgotten time

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I have read this book and love it. I was, however disappointed with the narration to start with.

Excellent Story poor Narration

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