author
Richard Henry Dana
1815–1882
Best known for the sea memoir Two Years Before the Mast, this American writer turned firsthand hardship into vivid, humane storytelling. He also built a serious legal career, championing sailors and opposing slavery.
4 Audiobooks
Two Years Before the Mast
by Richard Henry Dana
Two Years Before the Mast
by Richard Henry Dana
To Cuba and Back
by Richard Henry Dana
About the author
Leaving Harvard after illness weakened his eyesight, he signed on as an ordinary seaman in 1834 and spent nearly two years at sea, including time on the California coast. That experience became Two Years Before the Mast (1840), a book still admired for its sharp detail and for the sympathy it shows working sailors.
Back on land, he studied law and became a prominent Boston attorney. His legal work often reflected the same concern for the vulnerable seen in his writing: he advocated for seamen, spoke against slavery, and took part in major public issues of his day.
His reputation rests on a rare combination of close observation, moral seriousness, and adventure. For many readers, he remains one of the clearest voices to describe life before the mast and one of the most memorable witnesses to 19th-century American life.