I'm "reading" Richard Henry Dana Jr's "Two Years Before The Mast; The Life Of A Sailor", published in 1840, in audio book. It's his account of the 2 years (duh) that he spent aboard a sailing ship out of Boston from 1834-1836. I've read it twice before in the conventional way and I like this edition. The reader is pretty good, gets a bit excited at times with the voices but not to the detriment of the story really. This also has a shit ton of other material included, probably an extra 4-5 hours worth of it is supplemental stuff. Started with a long discussion on the many revisions that the author released over his lifetime and the why and the changes that were made. The book includes notes wherever phrases or terms that might be unfamiliar are used and things like that. Oh, also one of the later editions left out a significant part of the first chapter due to Dana's changing views on certain aspects of his life as a seaman and this included that. Then the last chapter is the one he added 24 years after he first published the book. It's a great listen at times, rounding Cape Horn is a harrowing experience and just the day to day of climbing all over a ship in terrible weather. If there could be one complaint it's the long tedious passages about handling the sails. "Unreef the topsail, boom the takle, strip the limp lines and set the jib boom. Haul the royal sheet, turn the studding sets, reave the blocks too and then it's salt for all." Things like that that go on and on. Like anybody could even know that shit.
One kinda cool thing is Texas gets a shout-out as Santy Anny is president of Mexico and consequently California during the time they are going up and down the coast collecting hides to take back to Boston.
I recommend it just for the "holy fuck those bastards were crazy" sentiment it's sure to provide.