I got this book at the spring UWF book sale. It is so old it actually has a ribbon attached at the top for a bookmark! I'd never seen that "in real life" before. The book's age coupled with my love of sailing made me immediately snatch it up. Though I was excited about reading it, the book sat on my shelf for a while before I started it.

I think this was the strangest read I've ever had. The book was boring yet fascinating at the same time. I was thoroughly interested, but at the same time I could usually not read more than a chapter at a time. It took me a couple months to read this book! I think maybe this happened because I like sailing and history so much, but the writing was just boring, and a style I'm not used to.

At any rate, this book was great. It was a book written by a scholar who went to sea just to see what it was like "before the mast." I was thrilled to learn more about what being a sailor in the age of sail was all about. Those men had it harder than almost any other class of man I can think of. The author stresses the sheer monotony of being a sailor - at times doing the same hard labor every day for weeks or even months.

The age of this book also intrigued me. The ship journeys from New England, down around Cape Horn, and back up to trade with the Mexicans in present-day California! Easily the oldest book I've ever read, very fascinating.

Because it was written over 150 years ago, it may be hard to get your hands on a copy of this book...but it's a good read for everyone who likes history and everyone who romanticizes the life of a sailor.