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Search - The Pirate Wars: Pirates vs. the Legitimate Navies of the World

The Pirate Wars Pirates vs the Legitimate Navies of the World
Author: Peter Earle

Investigating the fascination pirates hold over the popular imagination, Peter Earle takes the fable of ocean-going Robin Hoods sailing under the "banner of King Death" and contrasts it with the murderous reality of robbery, torture and death and the freedom of a short, violent life on the high seas. The book charts 250 years of piracy, from Cor... more »nwall to the Caribbean, from the 16th century to the hanging of the last pirate captain in Boston in 1835. Along the way, we meet characters like Captain Thomas Cocklyn, chosen as commander of his ship "on account of his brutality and ignorance," and Edward Teach, the notorious "Blackbeard," who felt of his crew "that if he did not now and then kill one of them they would forget who he was." Using material from British Admiralty records, this is an account of the Golden Age of pirates and of the men of the legitimate navies of the world charged with the task of finally bringing these cutthroats to justice.

Peter Earle formerly taught at the London School of Economics and is now Emeritus Reader in Economic History at the University of London. He is the author of over a dozen books on English social and maritime history, including two on different aspects of piracy, Corsairs of Malta and Barbary and The Sack of Panama. Investigating the fascination pirates hold over the popular imagination, Peter Earle takes the fable of ocean-going Robin Hoods sailing under the "banner of King Death" and contrasts it with the murderous reality of robbery, torture and death and the freedom of a short, violent life on the high seas. The book charts 250 years of piracy, from Cornwall to the Caribbean, from the 16th century to the hanging of the last pirate captain in Boston in 1835. Along the way, we meet characters like Captain Thomas Cocklyn, chosen as commander of his ship "on account of his brutality and ignorance," and Edward Teach, the notorious "Blackbeard," who felt of his crew "that if he did not now and then kill one of them they would forget who he was." Using material from British Admiralty records, this is an account of the Golden Age of pirates and of the men of the legitimate navies of the world charged with the task of finally bringing the pirates to justice. "A thoroughly entertaining read that dispels a number of myths."—Daily Mail

"Illuminating . . . It is one of the virtues of Earle's account that although he is declaredly on the side of law and order, and his overall theme is the final triumph of the maritime states . . . he is far from immune—as a more straight-laced historian might be—to the charms of the pirate life"—Daily Telegraph

"Peter Earle's distinguished and thorough study . . . puts all kinds of preconceptions about piracy to the sword . . . a fascinating and timely reminder that no outlaw ever exists outside the society he opposes"—Scotland on Sunday

"Earle's fascinating treatment presents a broad picture of the whole span of piracy, and how it was affected and eventually defeated by social and political forces."—Good Book Guide

ISBN-13: 9780413759009
ISBN-10: 0413759008
Publication Date: 4/1/2004
Pages: 288
Rating:

0 stars, based on 0 rating

Publisher: Methuen Publishing Ltd
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Genres:

History >> Military >> Naval
Politics & Social Sciences >> Crime & Criminals >> Criminology
Nonfiction >> Transportation >> Ships >> History

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Search - The Pirate Wars: Pirates vs. the Legitimate Navies of the World

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