Two years before the mast
a personal narrative of life at sea
53% recommend41% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
A firsthand account of life aboard an 1830s merchant sailing ship, written by a young sailor who signs on as a common hand. It offers vivid descriptions of sea work and the California coast.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Two Years before the Mast is but an episode in the life of Richard Henry Dana, Jr., yet the narrative in which he details the experiences of that period is, perhaps, his chief claim to a wide remembrance. His services in fields other than literary occupied the greater part of his life. Dana was a well known and respected lawyer, a stalwart abolitionist, and an advocate for the rights of common sailors. He and his wife, Sarah, had many friends among New England's cultural elite, including Henry Wadsworth and Fanny (Appleton) Longfellow and the artist Washington Allston and his wife, Marth
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There's "Two years before the mast", by Richard Dana, a sailor who visited San Francisco Bay years before the Gold Rush.
on “Jack Tar” ↗Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana is about a way of life long gone, but it is well worth reading. As for the more recent merchant marine, Christopher Buckley's Steaming to Bamboola is very funny, and I suppose fairly…
on “Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions” ↗Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle[0] is also a great travel read. His style is much more scientific. But that eye for rationalism often leads to very good observations about the places he visited Dana's Two Years Before the Mast[1] is another good voyage book. Dana is a recent Harvard grad that makes his way out round Cape Horn to California in last days of the Ranchero era. Any SV people will recognize the place names, but not…
on “Transiting the Suez Canal in a Private Sailboat (2003)” ↗You would probably enjoy the book Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana - an account of working on a tall ship in the 1820's (Boston - Cape Horn - California). It's a personal favorite.
on “How to design a sailing ship for the 21st century?” ↗The classic version: "Two Years Before the Mast", by Richard Henry Dana, a writer who spent two years on a sailing ship to improve his health. Dana is also noted for predicting in 1834 that the San Francisco Bay would become economically important.
on “From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate” ↗The ultimate boat-log-as-a-book has to be Two Years Before the Mast, published in 1840. It has some great descriptions of the California coast, and does a pretty decent job of giving you an idea of why Los Angeles became the biggest city despite having the worst natural…
on “50k Boat Names” ↗Most readable one is also the one most mystifying included: Two Years before the Mast. I actually bought this collection on ebay years ago for like 10 dollars. It's really a great example of not being able to buy the time along with the books. They mostly collect dust. "Mmm, Sacred…
on “Harvard Classics Book Download” ↗'Two Years Before The Mast' is an excellent book that I read just recently. Amazing adventure and author. Recommend to all. Also, from USCG OCS: "How long have you been in the Coast Guard?!" "Sir/Ma'am, all me bloomin' life. My…
on “Sailors Beware: Stories of Slang” ↗…They're surprisingly modern -- funny, witty -- yet also very personal. (Irving wrote them in England while dearly missing his homeland of America.) Another interesting book if you're living in California: Two Years Before the Mast. Basically a blog kept by a sailor on a ship in the 1830s -- except he was an educated man who just took the job for his health, so his writing and observations are really succinct and vivid.
on “Ask HN: I'm reading all the classics, what should I read next?” ↗If you’re interested in life on commercial sailing ships (hauling cargo for trade), I highly recommend “Two Years Before the Mast”. The reference in the title defines the book - a well educated young person signs on as a common sailor and writes about the experience. Not an officer, not a passenger, the author sleeps “before the…
on “How a 16th Century Explorer's Sailing Ship Works” ↗…source of "clams" as a synonym for money. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wampum http://factcards.califa.org/mli/tannery.html The use of cowhides as money is also discussed in Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast, a travellogue/history of early California in the 1830s. (Also mentioned at the URL above). http://www.worldcat.org/title/two-years-before-the-mast-a-pe... The code of Hammurabi: "Nearly one-half…
on “The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)” ↗If you have read Richard Henry Dana, "Two Years Before the Mast", much of life in California used to revolve around the processing and trade of hides, in fact seemingly in many places that was the only activity going on. How the times have changed.
on “America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge” ↗Two Years Before The Mast by Richard Henry Dana. An account of the cattle hide trade along the California coast in the 1830s by a Harvard student on a leave of absence from his studies. Dana narrates about his life as a sailor…
on “Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?” ↗…shape nations. "Impro" by Keith Johnston A book with unique and radical views about how society functions. "Peter Singer's books" Noted as being worldview-changing, but specific titles aren't listed. "Two Years Before The Mast" by Richard Henry Dana An account of the cattle hide trade along the California coast in the 1830s. "Empire of the Summer Moon" A book about the Comanche tribe and their conflict with settlers in the…
on “Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?” ↗Why? Just because someone is reading something doesn't mean it's a good recommendation. I'm reading "Two years before the mast," and it's okay. There are better books. However, here's a real recommendation: If you have a netbook, it can be used very effectively as an e-book reader if you turn it on its side while in bed, or…
on “What are you reading?” ↗