Overview

Two Years Before the Mast is a book by the American author Richard Henry Dana, Jr., written after a two-year sea voyage starting in 1834 and published in 1840. While at Harvard College, Dana had an attack of the measles that affected his vision. Thinking it might help his sight, Dana, rather than going on a Grand Tour as most of his fellow classmates traditionally did (and unable to afford it anyway), and being something of a nonconformist, left Harvard to enlist as a common sailor on a voyage around Cape Horn on the brig Pilgrim. He returned to Massachusetts two years later aboard the Alert (which left California sooner than the Pilgrim). He kept a diary throughout the voyage, and, after returning, he wrote a book based on his experiences. Recognized as an American classic, Two Years Before the Mast was published the same year that Dana was admitted to the bar.

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"Possesses...the romantic charm of Robinson Crusoe.-- ""Ralph Waldo Emerson"""

Possesses...the romantic charm of Robinson Crusoe.-- ""Ralph Waldo Emerson""

Author Information

Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (1815-1882) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts, a descendant of an eminent colonial family. He gained renown as the author of the American classic Two Years Before the Mast, a memoir of his time spent at sea as a merchant seaman. As a lawyer, he specialized in maritime law, defending many common seamen in court and writing The Seaman's Friend, a standard reference on the legal rights and responsibilities of sailors. He is also the author of To Cuba and Back, Journal of a Voyage Round the World, and Twenty-Four Years After. Kirby Heyborne is a musician, actor, and professional narrator. Noted for his work in teen and juvenile audio, he has garnered over twenty Earphones Awards. His audiobook credits include Jesse Kellerman's The Genius, Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, and George R. R. Martin's Selections from Dreamsongs. Kirby Heyborne is a musician, actor, and professional narrator. Noted for his work in teen and juvenile audio, he has garnered over twenty Earphones Awards. His audiobook credits include Jesse Kellerman's The Genius, Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, and George R. R. Martin's Selections from Dreamsongs.

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