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Two Years Before the Mast
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5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars
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Still Relevant After Forty Years
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Publisher's Summary
Two Years Before the Mast is an American classic published in 1840. This is the account of Richard Henry Dana’s two-year adventure as a sailor. Throughout his time sailing around Cape Horn on the brig Pilgrim, Dana kept a diary, and on his return to Massachusetts, he wrote this now-loved classic.
While attending Harvard College, Dana was stricken with measles, which would ultimately have a detrimental effect on his eyesight. Instead of going on a Grand Tour of Europe as most young men did in that era, he decided to work as a sailor, believing the open sea would be good for his health. Born in 1815, Richard Henry Dana was an American lawyer and politician who would become best known for being a champion of the common man.
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- Robin in Alaska
- Kenai, Alaska, United States
- 01-16-19
Sheer Boredom
I love reading and listening to books about sailing, exploring, whaling, storm wrecks and mis-adventure from this era (1800's). I was looking forward to this book, however it totally lacks any real sense of purpose or interest. It is quite frankly a simple diary with no "high" or "low" points to be discovered. I was deeply disappointed and after several hours of listening finally gave up.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- scott may
- here
- 03-12-19
Brilliant
A true classic. Brilliantly written. There were a couple choices of this book, I’m glad I picked this one. The narrator was fantastic, at one point, I was on the boat , fighting bad weather as we braved our way through the ocean, trying not to hit icebergs. This was truly a time when men were men.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GP
- 01-30-19
Fantastic first person adventure.
Fascinating historical account! Dana's journey at sea stands in stark contrast to life as we currently live. Really hung on each word. Better than any fiction I've read!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Damian
- Santa Fe
- 10-04-18
Not exactly a page turner
One can still see why this is a classic
and still deserving of study and reflection. The lot of the sailor truly was truly terrible and worth the prize of the book alone was the amazing revelation that in 1896 the Supreme Court of the United States – the 13th amendment abolishing slavery not withstanding – continued to hold the contracts of sailors sacrosanct to the point of involuntary servitude. Dana’s writing His sharp and elegant and although the anecdotes of his seafaring career are not scintillating, The view from his historical window reveals a most interesting and worthwhile panorama.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lynn
- 08-09-18
About the narration
Fine narration except that many technical terms (about the ship and boats, predominantly) are pronounced as spelled and not as normally pronounced. If you are at all familiar with their usual use, this may grate on your ear.
Otherwise a thoroughly good narration and a story that remains as interesting now as it was when written about 200 years ago!