Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, 0451514351, Lowest Book Price Finder

Customer Reviews:

A fine read!

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.

Journey of life and the power of the sea

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.

View more reviews or product details from Amazon.co.uk