Two Years Before the Mast cover art

Two Years Before the Mast

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Two Years Before the Mast

By: Richard Henry Dana
Narrated by: Jim Killavey
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £35.99

Buy Now for £35.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

 Richard Henry Dana called this book a "a voice from the sea". It had an influence on both Joseph Conrad and Herman Melville, both of whom sang its praises. Dana was a law student at Harvard College who decided, in 1834, to take a break from his studies in order to experience the "real world" by signing on as a common sailor for a two year voyage from Boston around Cape Horn to California. He kept a journal which he turned into a book after the voyage. In it he gives a vivid and detailed account of his fantastic voyage. The book is many things: a history, travelogue, a social documentary and an adventure story. W. Clark Russell, one of the best writers of sea-stories in English, called it "the greatest sea-book that was ever written in any language", and Ralph Waldo Emerson said, it "possesses...the romantic charm of Robinson Crusoe".Public Domain (P)1988 Jimcin Recordings Adventure Travel Expeditions & Discoveries Travel Writing & Commentary World Adventure Sailing

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Mutiny on the Bounty cover art
Voyage of the Liberdade cover art
Jack Tar cover art
Amazing Sailing Stories cover art
Across Islands and Oceans cover art
Endurance cover art
Sailing, Yachts and Yarns cover art
Omoo cover art
Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex cover art
An Unsung Hero cover art
Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days cover art
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue: A Second Treasury cover art
A Race Too Far cover art
The Adventures of James Capen Adams, Mountaineer and Grizzly Bear Hunter of California cover art
The Next Distant Sea cover art
Alone Together cover art

Editor reviews

This is a classic account of life at sea in the 1830s, written by a Harvard dropout determined to set sail and experience the "real world". Author Richard Henry Dana said his goal with the book was to "to present the life of a common sailor at sea as he really is - the light and the dark together." Performer Jim Killavey's deep voice and Yankee accent is a great match for these vivid stories, which don't shy away from the many cruelties and hardships experienced by sailors. While this is an older recording that lacks the precise sound quality of newer works, sailors and those who wish they were will appreciate its salt-drenched charm.

Critic reviews

"Possesses...the romantic charm of Robinson Crusoe." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
All stars
Most relevant  
I read the printed book some years ago and loved it. However I could not get past the first 15 minutes due to the expressionless deadpan voice of the reader. Lets hope a better version can be found in the future.

A great book ruined by dreadful narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.