Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea (Oxford Edition)

Author: R. H. Dana, Jr.
Publisher: John W. Lovell Company, New York
Year: c.1880s
Edition: Oxford Edition

A handsome late-Victorian Oxford Edition of Richard Henry Dana Jr.’s enduring maritime classic, Two Years Before the Mast. First published in 1840, this vivid personal narrative chronicles the author’s two-year voyage aboard a merchant ship, offering portrait of 19th-century seafaring life, discipline, and camaraderie.

This edition, published by John W. Lovell Company, features an ornate red cloth binding with black and gilt-stamped design — including the distinctive Oxford Edition crest of a lion atop books, surrounded by scrollwork and floral detailing. Patterned floral endpapers and includes the full unabridged text. Rubbing to boards with some light spotting/fading. Binding tight. Some yellowing of pages. Interior clean.

Condition: Good

Size: 7.25 x 5 inches.

A decorative late-19th-century edition of an American sea classic — both a work of literature and a fine example of Victorian binding design.