Customer Reviews: Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Some missing diagrams?:
A classic from the days of sail: This book has two distinct appeals--it is a compelling account of "the sailor's life" in 19th Century America as well as a historical account of 19th Century California. At the same time, this book is a classic and a thoroughly interesting narrative--one that influenced Herman Melville. It is also amazing to read the accounts of California before it was settled and became a state. It's pretty ironic that although the California coast is considered today to be one of the most beautiful parts of the country,... Reply to "Thar She Blows!" one star review: 1. "The first half of the book was great" makes the book worth three stars, not one. "If for whatever reason, you wish to find out exactly how a sailor lived, then go ahead, its a great book." makes it a 4 star book. Thrilling, tedious: It took me quite a while to read this book; I wouldn't call it a page turner. But I'm quite sure I will remember it as vividly as almost any book I've ever read. It is a very detailed, true description of an exceptional, very-well-educated young man's two year stint on a trading ship which sailed from Boston around Cape Horn to a very primitive, pre-Gold-Rush, California and back. There isn't a whole lot of suspense because we know, since it's a true story, that the author makes it back. And there isn't a...
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