Two Years before the Mast Audiobook

" I read this book because it is by the author that Dana Point, California is named after. It is quite an interesting account of life at sea aboard a sailing ship and those are definitely the most interesting parts. Although the accounts of early California life are interesting, his time spent laboring along the coast is almost as dull and tiring in print as it must have been in real life. Either way, once he gets back under way the story picks up again and I almost felt like I was there with him rigging the masts and all that cool sailor stuff. Ahoy! "

" This non-fiction tale of a young student going to sea is as exciting as any novel I've ever read. "

" Great read if you are into sea adventures. "

" Better than Moby Dick. Fyi, there's a Richard Henry Dana Jr. street in downtown SF. "

" Patrick O'Brien lists this memoir of a Harvard student who sails as a common sailer to California and back in the 1830s as an important source for his historical novels, and I found it as informative as it was fun to read. Not only does Dana describe the life and day to day activities on board a sailing ship, he also explains nautical terms like "dog watch" that O'Brien loves to throw into his works and never define. I also enjoyed the descriptions of California under Mexican rule and the comparison of San Fransisco when Dana first saw it with his later visit to the post gold rush city. "

" great book of sailing and a maritime classic. very interesting portion about loading and shipping cowhides from California in 1835. "

" Quite adventuresome; good read; 4 stars for being a little on the dry side (though it should be the opposite, ha!). "

" Richard Henry Dana's book "Two Years Before the Mast" actually did remind me of the ocean -- my interest level in the book ebbed and flowed like the tides. I found much of his tale of sailing to be somewhat mundane, but every once in a while, he'll get into a story about a crew member that is utterly fascinating. I particularly enjoyed reading about his experiences in wild California... which was the very highlight of the book for me. Overall, this book would be best for someone with a particular interest in sailing (as opposed to a general interest in exploration.) "

" An incredible portrait of life at sea not so many years ago. "

" Awesome book! Picked it up in the cottage we rented in Cape Cod and couldn't put it down! I had to go home a buy a copy. For people who like the movie, Master and Commander with Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany! "

" Amazing story of a sailing voyage! "

" Has provided more imagery for my personal writing than any other source. Another long read, but the images will linger with you for months. "

" One a scale of 1 to 5 I'd give it a 7!!! Tough read but WELL worth it! "

" A great book for historical perspective. A little dry though, I found myself struggling to finish this book, as it seemed more a jounal entry at times than anything else. All in all, this was a classic nautical tale and I would reccomend it to anyone who likes a good classic. "

" Feel as if I have more of an idea of what life on a ship in the 1800's was like. It is all relayed to us from the point of view of a new sailor who doesn't come from a maritime background so it is not hard to imagine ourselves in his place. Be prepared to brush up on all your sailing terminology! "

" Great look at California before it joined the union. Also includes many fascinating accounts of life at sea in those days. "

" Back when I was a skin and SCUBA diver in Southern California, I found this history of some very familiar locales fascinating. Every time I dove around Dana Point, I was reminded of this book, and tried in my mind's eye to reconstruct the coast as it might have been in Dana's time. "

" I thought this book would be a novel, but it turns out to be a narrative. I found it tedious in parts especially of the year that the author spent in California. "

" As I read this book, I kept thinking,"It HAS to get better." Regardless of how awful a book seems, I finish it. Perhaps, if someone had told me Dana's intention was to change the lives of Merchant Marines through this book, it would have changed my perspective. "

" I learned a lot from this book, espesially because I went on an overnight fieldtrip on a boat. Although it was kind of boring, I got a lot of stuff about a sailors life from it. It was pretty good. "

" Amazing story of a sailing voyage! "

" An 1830s classic diary. Author was a deckhand on board a ship that sailed from Boston around horn to an unpopulated California and back. Cites passage and shipboard perils as well as coastal encounters. "

" This is another classic that is often overrated, but there are sections that are pretty compelling. From a historical standpoint, it is certainly an important novel. "

" One a scale of 1 to 5 I'd give it a 7!!! Tough read but WELL worth it! "

" Old style of writing which makes it a bit wordy. Still worth reading cause the voyage took place and was written 200 years ago. "

" A college student drops out of school and goes to sea for his health. Not as a paying passenger but before the mast, working his way as a common seaman. This book is unembellished non-fiction. It does not need embellishment. Dating from the 1830s, it is one of the earliest accounts of California. "