At a friend's house recently I picked up "Two Years Before The Mast" for something to read. It was very enjoyable, interesting, much more readable than most 19th-century books I've encountered.
It's a 1840 memoir of a college kid who signed up as a seaman on a clipper ship to fix his eyesight (which is weird, but …) Went around Cape Horn twice, once in mid-winter!
Told in a straightforward way, it gives a really good picture of the often unpleasant life aboard ships as well as life in California before the gold rush.
I can definitely recommend it. You might want to skim through the sailing-ship parts which get a bit technical about sails and lines and whatnot!
by GraniteGeekNH
2 Comments
If you liked this, you might want to check out the Patrick O’Brien series starting with Master and Commander. It’s excellent
It’s a great read, fascinating descriptions of the California coastal ports and towns.