Richard Henry Dana Knihy

Autor zde popisuje vlastní dvouleté zážitky na brize Pilgrim, kdy byl nucen přerušit ze zdravotních důvodů studia na právnické fakultě.

An adventurous ocean journey unfolds as Richard Henry Dana, at just nineteen, leaves behind his privileged life in Boston for a challenging voyage around Cape Horn to California. His narrative captures the raw realities of life at sea in the early nineteenth century, featuring vivid depictions of storms, whales, and a volatile captain. The book also offers a compelling glimpse into California before the gold rush, blending rich historical context with Dana's personal experiences. Celebrated for its literary and historical significance, it remains a classic of American literature.

Tracing an awe-inspiring oceanic route from Boston, around Cape Horn, to the California coast, Two Years Before the Mast is both a riveting story of adventure and the most eloquent, insightful account we have of life at sea in the early nineteenth century. Richard Henry Dana is only nineteen when he abandons the patrician world of Boston and Harvard for an arduous voyage among real sailors, amid genuine danger. The result is an astonishing read, replete with vivid descriptions of storms, whales, and the ship's mad captain, terrible hardship and magical beauty, and 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."

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In 1869 the late Richard Henry Dana, Jr., prepared a new edition of his "Two Years Before the Mast''. In presenting the first 'author's edition' to the public, he has been encouraged to add an account of a visit to the old scenes, made twenty-four years after, together with notices of the subsequent story and fate of the vessels, and of some of the persons with whom the reader is made acquainted. The popularity of this book has been so great and continued that it is now proposed to make an illustrated edition with new material.

This fascinating series of lectures from the mid-19th century provides valuable insight into the educational curriculum of the day. While some of the topics covered may seem quaint by contemporary standards, the authors' insights into literature and history remain compelling and thought-provoking.

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