Two Years Before the Mast

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Summary: Fascinating glimpse of a bygone era
Review: Let me start out by stating that Dana was a born story teller.

The two years before the mast tells the story of Henry Dana's two years as a sailor during a journey from the America East Coast to the distant land of California via Cape Horn. Book portrays a fascinating insight into the life of a sailor during the years of sail upon a merchant ship - both the incredible hardships to be endured, the tangible moments of joy like rounding the cape and heading for home in a good wind with all sails set to the everyday relationships between crew and officers . Also it provides a truly interesting picture of California before the gold rush, a wild uninhabited place more Spanish than American, vast unspoilt stretches of coasts, with small settlements with familiar names such as San Francisco and San Diego.

As an officer worker, I also founded Dana's portrayal of his Capitan to be a equally telling study of the failed middle manager you know the guy who is competent but not truly experienced, who is aware of his failure and is aware that his competence is questioned by others. An insecure man forced to take his insecurities out on his underlings. The more things change the one thing that remains the same is human nature.

Also found myself sympathising with the sailors, far from home life. Men who at least while isolated are sailors first and American or French or English second.

A great adventure tale and a picture of a world long gone.

Rating:
Summary: worst book ever!
Review: please save yourself some time and skip this book it is a peice of garbage worth less than newspaper thats been recycled 100 times.dont waste your money.out of 30 chapters,30 are horrible.to quote the comic book man from the simpsons<"worst book ever"

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Summary: YOUR DESCRIPTION IS 100 YEARS OFF
Review: Reviews Book Description General Fiction Large Print Edition After a bout with measles, Richard Henry Dana decided to break the tedium of his convalescence with a sea voyage not as a passenger, but as a sailor. On August 14, 1934, the Pilgrim set off from Boston bound for the coast of California.

TRY August 14, 1834

Rating:
Summary: worst book ever!
Review: Richard Henry Dana catured the spirit of humans and the majesty of the sea. The rounding of icy waters off South America to watching swimming dolphins was a descriptive marvel to us who have seen it all on PBS. Mr. Dana's observations of the South Sea natives hired in their special boats to 'surf' cargo ashore in the waves of mid-California foretold of a phenomenon that was utterly impossible to predict. From going to the (then) vapid student halls of Harvard Univ. to swaying 100 ft over the raging waves of the ocean, this book might be good as required reading for those students entertaining a different course in life.

Rating:
Summary: Two Years Before The mast
Review: Richard Henry Dana catured the spirit of humans and the majesty of the sea. The rounding of icy waters off South America to watching swimming dolphins was a descriptive marvel to us who have seen it all on PBS. Mr. Dana's observations of the South Sea natives hired in their special boats to 'surf' cargo ashore in the waves of mid-California foretold of a phenomenon that was utterly impossible to predict. From going to the (then) vapid student halls of Harvard Univ. to swaying 100 ft over the raging waves of the ocean, this book might be good as required reading for those students entertaining a different course in life.

Rating:
Summary: What He Did on His Vacation
Review: Richard Henry Dana suffered from measles while a student at Harvard in 1834. Rather than suffer a slow recovery from weakened eyesight, he shipped out as a common sailor, rather than as a passenger, on a long sea voyage. After becoming a lawyer, he published his recollection of his voyage in 1840; it was an immediate success. He became an active member of the Free Soil Party, and represented fugitive slaves. This first and greatest book shows his sympathy for the suffering and the oppressed, and his courage, unselfishness, and fair-mindedness that characterized his life. This important book describes California before statehood and the gold rush, and life in those times. RHD hoped this book would promote religion and moral improvement for seamen, and diminish their hardships.

Chapter IV tells of being chased by a black hulled ship that flew no colors. They were able to outrun this ship, then lost it in the dark. Chapter V tells of the bad weather while rounding Cape Horn. They passed a whaler from Poughkeepsie NY. Chapter XIII gives his impressions of the Californians. RHD knew that local officials were appointed from the capital, but didn't ask if they controlled the local economy as a colony: produce raw material, buy finished goods. Chapter XVII tells how their captain, known for his flogging, could not hire any new seamen. Chapter XVIII tells of Easter celebration in California. The crews of Catholic vessels get about three more weeks of vacation in a year, and "Yankees don't keep Christmas". Chapter XXI tells more about California politics. Since the independence of Mexico the missions and their lands became the prey of administradores, and became diminished and decayed. RHD describes the lack of common law, and the private morality. It was a rich country waiting to be exploited.

Chapter XXIII tells of the advantages of a bigger ship over a smaller ship: more hands make lighter work. But a smaller lighter ship can catch a slight breeze that becalms a bigger ship. Chapter XXV tells how the heavy import taxes of Mexico are handled. A vessel puts in to declare a moderate cargo, then sells a large part. It then sails to another port; but on the way it gets other goods to replenish its cargo. RHD describes his visit to a whaleship, whose crew resembled fishermen and farmers. [Whalers got a share of the profits, not a wage.] The chapter ends with a description of a 3-day gale. Chapter XXIX tells of preparations to sail home: ballast is dumped, the ship sealed and fumigated to kill vermin. Then the hides are loaded, then steeved to pack in more. This hard work was fueled by a constant diet of fresh beef. Chapter XXX tells of the return trip by a shorthanded and inexperienced crew; they would round Cape Horn in the dead of winter, the worst possible time. Chapter XXXI tells of the sailor's need for rum or hot coffee in wintertime; and what it is like to have a tooth-ache at sea. Chapter XXXII describes the terrible times in the iceberg fields. Chapter XXXV tells of the haste to get home by keeping sails aloft. Scurvy had broken out on the ship due to no fresh provisions. They met a brig and got potatoes and onions for a cure.

The Concluding Chapter tells that drudgery and hardship is a sailor's life, not romantic fantasies. The captain must control everything, and be responsible for everything (mistreatment of seamen). Passengers on board (independent witnesses) result in better treatment of seamen. The lives of merchant seamen are shortened by a lack of sleep. RHD would not abolish flogging: most seamen are foreigners, the cast-offs of war vessels, and unknown to the captains. Force is needed to control them. Gradual improvement will correct this, he claims. RHD strongly objects to the practice of granting leniency to a convicted captain or officer because of previous good character, or a family to support. First, they don't know what it was like there, and this excuse is never granted to seamen! It is just a reward for class differences. Moral improvement is the seamen's best friend. RHD visited California 24 years later and writes about this in the last chapter.

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Summary: The Toughest Cure
Review: Sailing out of Boston to reach the California coast in 1834 proved a daunting proposition even for seasoned sailors, but young Richard Henry Dana felt up to the challenge and signed on the PILGRIM all the same. Not because he was passionate for life on the sea, but as a result of his doctor?s orders. Prolonged study at Harvard has damaged his eyes, so the brave young men undertook a two-year odyssey which included two trips around deadly Cape Horn. One of the first lessons he learned was that a sailor?s work is Never done. Now a captain?s authority is a absolute on shipboard, but few of this captain?s decisions and actions were perceived as just or humane.

This readable edition provides an excellent introduction for elementary students to the glories of American classics; this version offers generous amounts of dialogue with little of the introspection of the original. The onboard action moves along at clipper-ship pace. Dana even enjoys a cross-cultural experience as he learns to speak Spanish and observes the customs of the natives of Alta California under Mexican rule.

Enhanced by excellent brown and white illustrations of Dennis Dierks, this book will interest young readers, who will barely be aware that they are learning about the difficult cow hide trade in the declining days of the California missions. Dana realized the importance of trust between the officers and crew on a ship, as well as the camaraderie between ships on two mighty oceans. Surviving both natural and human disasters Dana returns home able to recall in vivid detail the events of his transformation from a Green Hand into a true Salt!


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Summary: A Book for True Adventurers--Even the Armchair Variety
Review: Several reviewers noted that this book was boring. Yes, indeed it is...if you have the attention span of a gnat. I first read this book 15 years ago, back when I was 11 years old. Together with National Geographic Magazine, it prompted me to pursue a life of world travel and adventure--and service to my country. But I agree: If you need the flashing images of MTV, look for another book. Better yet, look for a comic book. On the other hand, if you want to read about a guy who actually got off his duff and put to sea for two years and experienced high and low adventures, this book is for you.

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Summary: A fine read!
Review: The book descriprion on this page is good and I enjoyed this edition of the book with the help of the glossary provided in this edition which contains definitions of sailing terms and and few archaic usages that are in this book. It made it much more enjoyable and understandable.

I liked the grueling portarit of life at sea, reading some first written observations of early California, a fine and admiring description of a very able-bodied seaman that Dana encountered and many other points.

I think to that this challenging adventure for Mr. Dana restulted in restored vision for his failing eyes after he removed himself from life perhaps largely behind a desk. Could the neccessity of challenge and needed to see have contributed?

There are many facets and admirable points in this book. I think you would enjoy it.

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Summary: A Voice from Another Time and Place
Review: This book is a great in many ways - as history, as narrative, as travelogue, as social documentary and as Adventure, but I feel that it's probably fair to caution the modern reader that it's written in a style that he or she may not be used to - not flowery, but not spare either. You do get the sense that you're not reading a modern work.

Aside from its other merits, it's great background reading for fans of the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, even though it takes place about 20 years after their last published exploits.

Faults? Well, for my taste, there was perhaps a little more sailor jargon than I could take in (the version of the book I read, not this edition, had no diagrams). When he was going into great detail on sails and ropes, I skimmed past some material, but not too much, and was able to pick up the sense of what he was writing about, without necessarily being able to determine the precise difference between two types of sails on the same mast (call me Maturin). Overall, you get the sense that he spent two years in almost unceasing toil, and that life as a sailor in those days was not one that anyone today would envy.

Also, since this was a recount of an actual two year voyage, there was perhaps one or two too many recounts of cruises up and down the coast for those seeking "adventure" reading, but this is an actual historical account, and can't be faulted for some slow pacing - I have no doubt it WAS awfully tedious at times (which the book is not).

However, it has SO many other merits that any patient reader will gain much from it, particularly an authentic, well documented perspective from another time.

So, read the book, but don't think you'll knock it off in one night, or that it'll read like Tom Clancy, or even Mark Twain. Nevertheless, read it anyway, it's well worth it.