Two Years Before the Mast

Rating:
Summary: Dana: Pioneer of the "Year Off"...
Review: I read this book after reading about it in Kevin Starr's excellent history of California: California and the American Dream as well as reading about it in the foreword to Herman Melville's "White Jacket".

White Jacket was, of course, at least partially inspired by this book, and after reading "Two Years" I can certainly see the influence reflected in Dana's work.

This book has, essentially, two scenes that are varied throughout the book. The first scene is "life on board the 19th century clipper ship". Examples include: The tyranny of the captain (most notably), travelling around the cape, the daily routine (monotony of), encountering other ships, talking to the other sailors, the daily routine (complaining about), and so forth. As far as I'm concerned, Dana handles this subject just about as well as anybody COULD handle this subject. I would be lying if I said I understood all of the sailing vocabularly (how many sails did they have on those clipper ships? To me, it sounded like about a thousand or so!). None the less, life on a ship is life on a ship.

The second scene is Dana's interaction with the California coast. Were this book merely a description of life at sea, I probably would not have read it. According to Starr, this book was the ONLY English language book written about California at the time of the gold rush of 1848, and so it plays a prominent (though largely forgotten(?)) part in the shaping of the image of California in the minds of Americans (and if you want to see where I'm cribbing this from see the Starr book pgs. 38-47 thereabouts).

When Dana sails into San Francisco at the time of this book, there was one (1!) house in the entire Bay Area. That's impressive. We also get first hand descriptions of Santa Barbara and San Diego (where I live), that are unique. Dana treats the residents of California as one might expect from a wealthy white dude from the east coast of the U.S.: The Mexicans/Spanish are "noble" but "lazy" and the indians are nearly beneath mention. Dana is quick to see the potential in California but equally as quick to dismiss the current residents as hopelessly lazy. At one point Dana refers to the "California Disease"(laziness). By the end of his time on the coast, he is calling California "Hell". That probably has more to do with his daily work (processing hides) then California itself.

Rating:
Summary: Dana: Pioneer of the "Year Off"...
Review: I read this book after reading about it in Kevin Starr's excellent history of California: California and the American Dream as well as reading about it in the foreword to Herman Melville's "White Jacket".

White Jacket was, of course, at least partially inspired by this book, and after reading "Two Years" I can certainly see the influence reflected in Dana's work.

This book has, essentially, two scenes that are varied throughout the book. The first scene is "life on board the 19th century clipper ship". Examples include: The tyranny of the captain (most notably), travelling around the cape, the daily routine (monotony of), encountering other ships, talking to the other sailors, the daily routine (complaining about), and so forth. As far as I'm concerned, Dana handles this subject just about as well as anybody COULD handle this subject. I would be lying if I said I understood all of the sailing vocabularly (how many sails did they have on those clipper ships? To me, it sounded like about a thousand or so!). None the less, life on a ship is life on a ship.

The second scene is Dana's interaction with the California coast. Were this book merely a description of life at sea, I probably would not have read it. According to Starr, this book was the ONLY English language book written about California at the time of the gold rush of 1848, and so it plays a prominent (though largely forgotten(?)) part in the shaping of the image of California in the minds of Americans (and if you want to see where I'm cribbing this from see the Starr book pgs. 38-47 thereabouts).

When Dana sails into San Francisco at the time of this book, there was one (1!) house in the entire Bay Area. That's impressive. We also get first hand descriptions of Santa Barbara and San Diego (where I live), that are unique. Dana treats the residents of California as one might expect from a wealthy white dude from the east coast of the U.S.: The Mexicans/Spanish are "noble" but "lazy" and the indians are nearly beneath mention. Dana is quick to see the potential in California but equally as quick to dismiss the current residents as hopelessly lazy. At one point Dana refers to the "California Disease"(laziness). By the end of his time on the coast, he is calling California "Hell". That probably has more to do with his daily work (processing hides) then California itself.

Rating:
Summary: Journey of life and the power of the sea
Review: I read this book after reading some poetry by Pablo Neruda, in which he sparked a renewed love for the sea and its mysteries within me. This story is about a boy reaching manhood and the battle that he fights within himself, and the battle without against man and the unrelenting power of nature. At points it is difficult reading if one is not familiar with ships of the 1830's and 1840's, but that is part of it. He too had to learn and adapt to his situation; he was entering into a world new and unknown. It is concurrent with London's stories of struggle because it is not crowded with the survival of the fittest motif but rather it paints this very struggle without the preaching. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the full circle ending. He returns to the world he once conquered to find that it is no longer the same place that he left it and he is now on a different journey.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: I read this book because I wanted to get a glimpse of what the San Francisco Bay Area was like BEFORE the Gold Rush and boy-oh-boy, did I ever enjoy this book. There are scenes that I will never forget, though I don't want to spoil it for anyone else. Some of the technical jargon dealing with sailing is a bit overwhelming at first, but after awhile, I started to get an understanding of what things were. The story detailed the trading business up and down the California coast around the period of 1840 and was absolutely indispensable in forming a clear picture in my mind of the time. I highly recommend this one. In fact, I became so intrigued with the whole seafaring biz, that after I finished reading the book, I followed it up with The Sea Wolf (also FIVE STARS), The Old Man And The Sea, and Kidnapped! Go get Two Years Before The Mast and lose yourself in time.

Rating:
Summary: At LEAST 5 stars. I didn't want it to end.
Review: I really enjoyed his perspective on this voyage - the things he notices and comments upon to us, his readers. He offers us a marvelous view of a land that no longer exists. An intimate view of a sailor's life in its exciting - and mundane - details. I read it as an adult and/but I think this is the book they should give kids to read in high school literature classes. A book that shows life for the adventure that it can be. Not always easy, of course, but always an adventure. I recommend that you relax with it, take you time, go there. You can trust Richard Henry Dana. He tells a good story.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Sailor: A Great Writer: An American Classic
Review: I waited 58 years to read Two Years Before the Mast! It was always on my list of books to read, but I had never reached it until recently, when my interest was sparked by a comment made by David McCullough (the author of the great biography of Truman) that this book greatly influenced him when he read it as a very young man. It is a a beautifully written book --- prose as good as any I have ever read. Dana's accurate and detailed narrative of his own life at sea on sailing ships in the 1830's, and his time spent on the coast of California,when it was true wilderness, is an unforgettable reading experience. The book has a personal intimate quality about; it is as if the author is a friend writing to you from abroad about his extraordinary adventure. This book deserves its esteemed place in American and world literature.

Rating:
Summary: This book is so good I'm reading it again for the 6th time.
Review: I'm a Californian who has seen the entire coast described by Dana. He has painted a remarkably true picture of that coast still recognizable. Jackson was president when Dana sailed in 1833. It was also the age of the Mountain Men some of whom were seen in CA while Dana was there. In San Diego Dana met professor Nuttal who taught at Cambridge and was known to Dana. Nuttal crossed the continent the hard way, as a naturalist, then made his way to CA, and eventually returned on the same ship with Dana to Boston. Both Dana and Nuttal, and their respective pursuits, were precursors to Manifest Destiny. Their trips also were descriptive of the times. Two years after his leaving Boston, Dana returned as an accepted 'foc'sle' sailor, a man cured of whatever ailed him when he left home. His exploits are remarkable for their daring. He never shirked his duty as a shipmate. His is a remarkable tale which could only have been told by one of his character. If read in conjunction with the landed history of the time, 'Across the Wide Missouri,' by DeVoto, it becomes a historical masterpiece significant for its truth, sadness, and moments of supreme beauty of expression.

Rating:
Summary: A timeless escape from academia
Review: I'm working in a lab this summer. I've had all manner of jobs, but this is the first where I do nothing but think, and I feel ambivalent about it. When I go on lunch breaks, I bring TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST.

I've never found a non-fiction book quite like it before, though I own many in this genre. You may find other sea stories with more excitment (the O'Brien series is excellent), more daring (Joshua Slocum's account SAILING ALONE AROUND THE WORLD is a classic), or a more contemporary feeling (Robin Lee Grahm's DOVE has an optimistic 60's sensibility), but you will NOT find the sheer thoughtfulness that makes this book so much worth reading.

Dana is a remarkable observer. He is farsighted, identifying San Francisco as the likely center of California's future prosperity, yet he is clearly affected by many of the prejudices of his era. He is always honest about his thoughts and feelings and he never lets his education or his background spoil his intercourse with the fascinating and often raw characters that he meets. Still, Dana wavers in his original objective. Though he intends to lay bare the iniquities of sea life to the landlubber, he ends up seducing his readers with the sheer adventure of his life.

This book will take you away (in the best of "Reading Rainbow" fashion) whenever you read it. For that extra touch of authenticity, bring it along on a cruise, or better yet, read it in a hammock.

Rating:
Summary: Life at sea in the seventeenth century
Review: If you have harbor a fantasy of life aboard a pioneer vessel, read this book. The lauguage is rich in the time and the author is honest. Your are guided through a stint of sea duty in the days of tall ships. Read and feel the meaning of standing watch and surviving the trials of ship board living. You will come to appreciate the rigors of command and the helplessness of being commanded. Remember the Captain is lord and hope you draw a fair one. Let yourself go and enjoy a fine read, a classic in time. Five stars...

Rating:
Summary: CALIFORNIA HISTORY HAS NEVER BEEN SO FUN !
Review: Just finished reading this book today and thought that it was really good. Myself, being from the San Francisco Bay Area, I was thrilled to hear Dana describe areas that I am well familiar with. The book was a history lesson for me of early California. My book, the Penguin Classic edition, had an extra chapter at the end written by Dana called "Twenty-four Years After". In this chapter he returns to California 24 yrs later and writes about all the changes that have occurred since he was last there, a lot due to the fact of the gold rush. He also goes into some detail on the whereabouts of his former crewmates and the two ships that he sailed on while on his adventure. I have to say that this book probably would have more appeal to someone who is familiar with California as I am. I'm not sure if the book centered on Oregon lets say, that I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. I picked this book up at a second-hand store and am glad I decided to give it a try. I would suggest the same for anyone else that may have an interest in how it was to work and live on ships in the 1800's and early California before statehood.