'Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea' by Richard Henry Dana Jr

Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor’s Life at Sea, by Richard Henry Dana Jr. (3)

While this book is not an easy read, it is a thoughtful and important historical tale of sailing and the California coast in the early 1800’s.  What made it so important at the time it was published and differentiates it even now, is that Richard Henry Dana was an upper crust society gentleman who sailed as a crewmember, not an officer.  His stories are well written and poignant yet from a very different perspective than previous accounts.  Given his society role versus his job ‘before the mast’ (where the crew lives) he has an interesting view of leadership and what makes a good leader.  There are some classic stories of raging storms, dreadful floggings and descriptions of the atmosphere of the new California frontier. The main difficulty with the book is getting through the large amount of sailing jargon and the somewhat awkward 1830’s language.  The book is long and reads slowly, but if you have the patience you will appreciate a unique view of our California history.