Tracing an awe-inspiring ocean journey from Boston, around Cape Horn, to the California coast, Two Years Before the Mast is both a riveting story of adventure and an eloquent, insightful account of life at sea in the early nineteenth century. At the young age of nineteen, Richard Henry Dana abandoned the patrician world of Boston and Harvard for an arduous voyage among real sailors and real dangers. His account of the journey is an astonishing tale, replete with vivid descriptions of storms, whales, and the ship's mad captain. It also includes fascinating historical detail, including an intriguing portrait of California before the gold rush. As D. H. Lawrence proclaimed, "Dana's small book is a very great book." This is American literature and American history at its very best. Newly designed and typeset in a modern 6-by-9-inch format by Waking Lion Press.