Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 2/27/2018 + 1185 more book reviews

This was a very comprehensive look at the history of piracy as contrasted with the legends of pirates portrayed in literature and film. Cordingly obviously did his research and included information on many of the famous and not so famous pirates of history including Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Henry Morgan, etc. He also included information on the female pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonney which was quite fascinating and on probably the most notorious pirate operating in the China seas, Mrs. Cheng, whose fleets of junks ruled the South China seas in the early nineteenth century. "The sheer numbers involved in some of Cheng's attacks make the activities of the pirates in the West Indies pale into insignificance...her forces went into action with several hundred vessels and up to two thousand pirates!" I was also surprised to learn that one of the most successful pirates operating in the West Indies was Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart) who was infinitely more successful than Blackbeard or Captain Kidd but who has not received as much recognition.

The book contains information on everything related to piracy including their ships, flags, methods of fighting, marooning, imprisonment, executions, and on and on. Some of this was rather tedious and repetitious and was to me a drawback to the overall book. I found myself skimming some of the more tedious descriptions. I did find interesting the information presented on pirate literature including Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, works by Daniel Defoe, and Rafael Sabatini. Many of Sabatini's novels were made into successful films including Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk, and The Black Swan.

Overall, only a mild recommendation for this one but it would probably be of interest to anyone wanting to learn more about the history of piracy.

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