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This is a thread that was recommended by group member: Danna. This is a thread to discuss "PIRATES".



Now that should scare everybody and it is not even Halloween.

When you think of the image of a pirate, more likely than not what comes to mind is a bawdry, unkempt as well as drunken rogue who’s probably more than a little rough around the edges. In your minds eye the pirate image you conjured up is most likely a person who is primarily known for his evil and villainous lifestyle. The legendary pirate is most easily remembered for his debaucheries and has very few redeeming qualities. Unlike most of the dominant figures we associate with Halloween, pirates aren’t based on myth or superstition. Pirates are quite real and have been robbing ships on the high seas as long as men have traveled on the water. But what is fact about these seafaring buccaneers and what is really fiction?

Source;

Life Aboard a Pirate Ship of ole

The Golden Age of Piracy

Today’s media has created an image of the pirate that is either somewhat romanticized or on the other end of the spectrum, is very bloodthirsty and evil. The truth is, although most pirates could hardly be described as saints, they may have been getting a bit of a bum rap. During the Golden Age of Piracy (from the late 18th century until the early 19th century) piracy was very commonplace (although it is unlikely they all wore typical pirate costumes the media often portrays). Most of the men that ultimately became pirates were men that had formerly been part of mutinous crews from Naval warships. Not willing to put up with the severe punishments that were part of life on these Naval vessels, these men left those ships to become pirates. The opportunity to perhaps obtain great wealth was worth the risky lifestyle for many of these men who already had put up with great hardships at sea and had endured many severe punishments as part of their Naval life.



Source for all of the above:

Who doesn't love the exploits of the pirates?......but the romance that surrounds them is more myth than fact and life was not all drinking rum and tropical islands abounding with beautiful women.


Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates

by David Cordingly

Synopsis

For this rousing, revisionist history, the former head of exhibitions at England's National Maritime Museum has combed original documents and records to produce a most authoritative and definitive account of piracy's "Golden Age." As he explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking the plank" is pure fiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth that is more complex and often bloodier.

Pirates who were Privateers

Many pirates were known as something called Privateers. Privateers were not committing acts of piracy for their own personal gain per se, but were commissioned by various countries to take over the ships of known enemies, to steal the enemies supplies and riches in order to handicap them in any way possible. Privateers were commonly used during various wars during this era to assist in the war effort. The role they played was considered invaluable. The number of Privateer ships available outnumbered the ships of the Continental Navy 11 to 1, so the use of this type of Piracy was actually quite crucial in the early days of establishing the United States. Believe it or not, some of these early Privateers were considered to be quite patriotic. Obviously, they had the ultimate quest of money and riches in mind, but many of these Privateers were fighting for a cause that they actually believed in, too.

For example, Joshua Barney (who commanded a sloop known as the Pomona) sunk or captured many English ships during the Revolutionary War. Of course, he also obtained a great deal of personal riches during his pillaging while doing so, but that was the point. Privateers liked the fact that they could help their country, and may actually get rich while doing so.




Another well-known Privateer, Jean Lafitte was infamous for his very successful acts of piracy in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico during the war of 1812. He bombarded many Spanish and French ships in this area and amassed quite a bit of wealth himself. He became legendary in the locality of New Orleans because he would take much of his acquired treasure troves, which included foodstuffs, wine, cloth and other valuables and sell them to Americans, giving them a very steady supply of things that they both wanted and needed. Although he was engaged in somewhat sketchy dealings, Jean Lafitte considered himself a patriot and in his own way, he felt he was aiding his country.

At some point Jean Lafitte was approached by the British and was offered a hefty bribe in order to help them out on their side. Outraged, Lafitte went immediately to the Governor of Louisiana and told him about the bribe he had received. Unfortunately, the governor didn’t believe him, and he was jailed temporarily along with most of his crew. Eventually when Andrew Jackson came to defend New Orleans he had the pirate released from jail upon the promise that he would aid in defending the city. True to his word, Lafitte supplied weapons, ammunition and enough supplies to the Americans that the assault on the British was very successful and forthright.

Source for all of the above:

Pirate Lore

There are many stereotypical parts of the pirate image that continue to endure to this day. One of these is the keeping of a large parrot on board the ship. This parrot, thought to sit on the shoulder of the captain of the pirate ship, is usually loudly squawking out various lines of pirate lingo. Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island� is the most likely source of the pirate’s pet parrot. In this book we became acquainted with Long John Silver’s constant parrot companion, who was affectionately known as Captain Flint. The truth is that because of the very high price that exotic pets could command in various market places, some pirates actually did obtain parrots and other such animals.

Another common part of the popular pirate persona (e.g. Captain Hook) is the wooden peg leg, the hook hand, or the eye patch over one eye. These popular pirate associated prosthetics are probably largely the work of books such as Treasure Island or Peter Pan, as pirates were no more likely to have the sorts of injuries that would require them, than any other seaman.

Many legends surrounding pirates also speak of buried treasure, and there has been a great deal of time and money spent searching for supposed pirate booty that has been put in the ground somewhere. (With a legendary map of course that leads right to it.) Unfortunately, there is little evidence that there are more than a couple of instances of pirates actually burying any treasure. Pirates were known squanderers and it’s unlikely that any of them ever obtained a vast enough fortune to require them to bury it in a secret location. The facts are, much of the pirate loot contained spices, fabrics, dry goods, tobacco and food items that weren’t conducive to burying, nor did it make sense to do so. Gold and silver were part of their take at times, but this was more rare than the innocuous nature of their usual pilfering.

Source for all of the above:

Not all pirates were patriots

Not all pirates were patriots, however, and the image of the scoundrel who is committing all sorts of gruesome and hideous actions is well deserved by many. The truth was, however, in spite of their acts of extreme debauchery, many localities put up with pirates when they came into town because they were very good for the local economy. These pirates were fond of drinking, gambling and frequenting brothels and would spend a good deal of their personal money in local communities.

Although pirates are never going to be known for their sweet gentility, most of them were not as bad as today’s media would like you to believe. Having come from very regulated Naval ships, most pirates required some rules and structure to govern them with something akin to a pirate code. When a group of pirates was about to set sea, a Captain was elected by the group from amongst them, and a set of rules was instituted with appropriate punishments noted. Each pirate was required to add his mark to the drawn up rules, which stated his agreement to them. Stealing was never permitted as trusting your fellow pirate was of critical importance with all the loot that would inevitably be dealt with. Fighting or striking of another pirate, disrespect or insubordination was not allowed either. Any acts of tyranny, (deserting the ship or keeping an important secret from the rest of the crew) was considered a catastrophic offense, and the most feared punishment by pirates might be given. This punishment was known as marooning. Marooning meant that a pirate would be dropped off on a deserted island or in a remote location with no food or water, basically left to just dehydrate and/or starve to death. Once in awhile a pirate would do something so bad it required immediate execution. The pirate code required that the man sentenced to die must select from the crew his own executioner, who would then tie him up and shoot him. Even pirates had to have rules, these rules being very necessary in order to maintain order and to avoid chaos with many men aboard a ship, all living in very confined quarters.

Pirate Daily Life
Although undoubtedly pirates had some excitement from time to time, the daily life aboard the pirate ship was very unglamorous. Surviving mainly on salted meat and hard tack, even these meager supplies were difficult to keep from rotting or from becoming infested with weevils. Water supplies were often corrupted and because nothing was ever wasted, everything was consumed anyway, even if it had gone bad. There is no doubt why many pirates would become sick with various diseases including scurvy, dysentery, malaria, tuberculosis, typhus, small pox and many other random illnesses. The truth was, most pirates died from sickness than from any other reason.

That isn’t to say that accidents didn’t happen. Life on a ship can be dangerous and men were known to fall overboard, in which case they were sometimes left in the sea to drown, as most pirates ironically couldn’t swim, or worse yet would be eaten by sharks. Sometimes while working on the sails one could easily fall from very high up and be instantly killed. Other dangers inherent to life at sea such as shipwrecks and natural disasters were also a constant risk for the seafaring pirate. In spite of the very tough conditions and the known risks, these largely very young men assumed these dangers because of the allure and the possibility of obtaining wealth and riches.




Source for all of the above:

Walking the Plank

Walking the plank is thought to be one of the most widely used punishments by pirates. Pirates committed many cruel deeds during their acts of extortion, but not many victims ever actually walked the plank, or at least there certainly is no record of this ever really occurring beyond an isolated incidence. “Sweating� was a favorite punishment used by pirates, which entailed hostages being forced into running around and around the mast of the pirate ship until they would eventually fall over from exhaustion. Other times glass bottles would be thrown hard at hostages in order to force them into telling the pirates where their valuables were. Pirates committed many barbarous as well as evil deeds, walking the plank was just not one of them.

Most people also associate pirates with wearing large gold earrings. There is some thought that these earrings were worn by pirates to ensure that if they were ever lost at sea, when their body was eventually found there would be enough gold in the earrings to ensure a proper burial as well as a funeral. More likely than not, the earrings were worn simply because it was a popular fashion trend that was indeed quite in vogue during those days.

Pirate Speech
Pirate speech, as we know it today, full of “arrrrr’s�, “matey’s�, and “aye’s� is somewhat of a misnomer as well. Real pirates came from all parts of the world and from many diverse backgrounds. It seems unlikely that this vast array of men all adopted the same accent and type of speaking just because of their status as a pirate. Once again, the media has probably helped out a lot with this bit of myth, although talking like a pirate as we think of him today, certainly has it’s own degree of roguish charm.

Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans

by Winston Groom

Synopsis
From the author of best-selling works of history and fiction, a fast-paced, enthralling retelling of one of the greatest battles fought on the North American continent, and of the two men who—against all expectations and odds—joined forces to repel the British invasion of New Orleans in December 1814.

It has all the ingredients of a high-flying adventure story. Unbeknownst to the combatants, the War of l812 has ended, but Andrew Jackson, a brave, charismatic American general—sick with dysentery and commanding a beleaguered garrison—leads a desperate struggle to hold on to the city of New Orleans and to thwart the army that defeated Napoleon. Helping him is a devilish French pirate, Jean Laffite, who rebuffs a substantial bribe from the British and together with his erstwhile enemy saves the city from invasion . . . much to the grateful chagrin of New Orleanians shocked to find themselves on the same side as the brazen buccaneer. Winston Groom brings his considerable storytelling gifts to the re-creation of this remarkable battle and to the portrayal of its main players. Against the richly evocative backdrop of French New Orleans, he illuminates Jackson’s brilliant strategy and tactics, as well as the antics and cutthroat fighting prowess of Laffite and his men.

Patriotic Fire brings this extraordinary military achievement vividly to life.

Good add.

Jill wrote: "Who doesn't love the exploits of the pirates?......but the romance that surrounds them is more myth than fact and life was not all drinking rum and tropical islands abounding with beautiful women.
..."

Thanks Jill.

Mary Read: Sailor, Soldier, Pirate

by Cherie Pugh

Synopsis:

From the Author:

I am a New Zealander by birth, now enjoying the lovely east coast of Australia with my small family. When I was first learning to read, an aunt gave me a book of heroines that inspired me with dreams of the pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny.

I began writing fiction when still at university. After a year as a researcher, I felt the need for adventure, and spent four years working my way around the world. I spent the last year aboard an old wooden ketch, the Nordvag, learning navigation by dead reckoning, and making my way slowly back home.

In the Caribbean I re-discovered the story of the Englishwoman, Mary Read, who lived as a man and ended a pirate; and her young American friend, Anne Bonny, who lived openly as a woman rover.

In Sydney, I found the women pirates mentioned in Captain Charles Johnson's "A General History of the Most Notorious Pirates", published in 1724. Yet all the original documents were in London, Holland, and the Bahamas.

I found the Court Records at the Public Records Office in Kew, "The Trials of Captain Jack Rackam and Other Pirates", by Robert Baldwin, 1721, as well as all the Colonial records on the pirate settlement of Nassau, and the records of the Dreadnought.

I completed my research in London, searching dusty libraries for journals written by sailors and soldiers in the eighteenth century. In Breda, I found the old town almost untouched, and drank the same beer that Mary Read had served in her tavern.

The librarian in Nassau could not have been more helpful, and sent reams of information on the islands of the Bahamas and their fascinating history. Re-creating the life of Mary Read has been a labour of love, as well as the work of half a lifetime. Learning about the real pirates of the Caribbean made it worth it.

The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down

by Colin Woodard

Synopsis

In the early eighteenth century a number of the great pirate captains, including Edward "Blackbeard" Teach and "Black Sam" Bellamy, joined forces. This infamous "Flying Gang" was more than simply a thieving band of brothers. Many of its members had come to piracy as a revolt against conditions in the merchant fleet and in the cities and plantations in the Old and New Worlds. Inspired by notions of self-government, they established a crude but distinctive form of democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which indentured servants were released and leaders chosen or deposed by a vote. They were ultimately overcome by their archnemesis, Captain Woodes Rogers—a merchant fleet owner and former privateer—and the brief though glorious moment of the Republic of Pirates came to an end.In this unique and fascinating book, Colin Woodard brings to life this virtually unexplored chapter in the Golden Age of Piracy

Pirate Hunting: The Fight Against Pirates, Privateers, and Sea Raiders from Antiquity to the Present

by Benerson Little

Synopsis

For thousands of years pirates, privateers, and seafaring raiders have terrorized the ocean voyager and coastal inhabitant, plundering ship and shore with impunity. From the victim s point of view, these attackers were not the rebellious, romantic rulers of Neptune s realm, but savage beasts to be eradicated, and those who went to sea to stop them were heroes.Engaging and meticulously detailed, "Pirate Hunting" chronicles the fight against these plunderers from ancient times to the present and illustrates the array of tactics and strategies that individuals and governments have employed to secure the seas. Benerson Little lends further dimension to this unending battle by including the history of piracy and privateering, ranging from the Mycenaean rovers to the modern pirates of Somalia. He also introduces associated naval warfare; maritime commerce and transportation; the development of speed under oar, sail, and steam; and the evolution of weaponry.More than just a vivid account of the war that seafarers and pirates have waged, "Pirate Hunting" is invaluable reading in a world where acts of piracy are once more a significant threat to maritime commerce and voyagers. It will appeal to readers interested in the history of piracy, anti-piracy operations, and maritime, naval, and military history worldwide.

Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign

by Stephan Talty

Synopsis

He challenged the greatest empire on earth with a ragtag bunch of renegades—and brought it to its knees. Empire of Blue Water is the real story of the pirates of the Caribbean.

Henry Morgan, a twenty-year-old Welshman, crossed the Atlantic in 1655, hell-bent on making his fortune. Over the next three decades, his exploits in the Caribbean in the service of the English became legendary. His daring attacks on the mighty Spanish Empire on land and at sea determined the fates of kings and queens, and his victories helped shape the destiny of the New World.

Morgan gathered disaffected European sailors and soldiers, hard-bitten adventurers, runaway slaves, and vicious cutthroats, and turned them into the most feared army in the Western Hemisphere. Sailing out from the English stronghold of Port Royal, Jamaica, “the wickedest city in the New World,� Morgan and his men terrorized Spanish merchant ships and devastated the cities where great riches in silver, gold, and gems lay waiting. His last raid, a daring assault on the fabled city of Panama, helped break Spain’s hold on the Americas forever.

Awash with bloody battles, political intrigues, natural disaster, and a cast of characters more compelling, bizarre, and memorable than any found in a Hollywood swashbuckler—including the notorious pirate L’Ollonais, the soul-tortured King Philip IV of Spain, and Thomas Modyford, the crafty English governor of Jamaica�Empire of Blue Water brilliantly re-creates the passions and the violence of the age of exploration and empire.

Very good.

The Buccaneer's Realm,: Pirate Life on the Spanish Main

by Benerson Little (no photo)

Synopsis
Something a little different is the life of the pirates of the Spanish Main. In 1674, for a short time, the major powers in Europe were at peace among themselves. But soon buccaneers seized the opportunity of material gain and Spain produced its own notorious pirates and the game was on. A look into the pirates' lives in the days of the buccaneers.

This book was superb, and the story is extraordinary:

The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines & the Secret Mission of 1805

by Richard Zacks

Synopsis

A real-life thriller, now in paperback -- the true story of the unheralded American who brought the Barbary Pirates to their knees.In an attempt to stop the legendary Barbary Pirates of North Africa from hijacking American ships, William Eaton set out on a secret mission to overthrow the government of Tripoli. The operation was sanctioned by President Thomas Jefferson, who at the last moment grew wary of "intermeddling" in a foreign government and sent Eaton off without proper national support. Short on supplies, given very little money and only a few men, Eaton and his mission seemed doomed from the start. He triumphed against all odds, recruited a band of European mercenaries in Alexandria, and led them on a march across the Libyan Desert. Once in Tripoli, the ragtag army defeated the local troops and successfully captured Derne, laying the groundwork for the demise of the Barbary Pirates. Now, Richard Zacks brings this important story of America's first overseas covert op to life.

You like pirates - do you?

Heh...how about reading about them?

Here is a book about a pirate ship and Cape Cod.

Expedition Whydah: The Story of the World's First Excavation of a Pirate Treasure Ship and the Man Who Found Her

by Barry Clifford (no photo)

Synopsis
A Captivating Account of the Golden Age of Piracy, the Search for Sunken Treasure, and the Business of Underwater Exploration

Bored by his successful life and obsessed with a boyhood dream of lost pirate treasure, Barry Clifford began a quest for legendary pirate Black Sam Bellamy's ship Whydah, which had supposedly wrecked off the coast of Cape Cod more than two centuries ago. Ignoring claims that he was a fool and a dreamer, Clifford pressed on, until he unbelievably found the Whydah...and then the real story begins in a spellbinding story that will capture your imagination.

Jerome wrote: "Heh...how about reading about them?"

I am not sure it would be my cup of tea (smile)

One of the books that changed my life was the first book I was assigned in my first college history class. And it was about pirates! And I still read it every summer by the pool. Check it out!!

by Marcus Rediker

Thank you Leslie and how did this one book change your life - that is quite a statement.

You have all of the segments necessary for a correct citation - good job but if you have the book cover - you also do not need the book title. Should look like this:

by Marcus Rediker

Bentley wrote: "Thank you Leslie and how did this one book change your life - that is quite a statement.

You have all of the segments necessary for a correct citation - good job but if you have the book cover -..."

This is the book that made me love history, not historical fiction. Which I think is an important moment in every history lover's life. The moment where we begin to love the well written straight up facts more than the well spun story based on the facts. And for me this book was that moment. Also it was the first book I read in my first class with my favorite professor, and the book that got me to walk into his office and get to know the man who would become my friend and mentor.

*I chose to do the name of the book as well as the cover because its so hard to read the title on that tiny picture sometimes. If it will really bug you all I wont do it any more, but it just seemed neater. :)

**working with you guys is like learning Chicago Turabian citation all over again... it makes me super happy inside**

Leslie, if you could just follow the rules and guidelines that would be great (smile) and if you edit 23 then I will delete this post. Thank you.

We are very happy that we are making you happy but the citation is still wrong in 23 (smile).

You could put in bold the title of the book above the citation if that would make you even happier but the citation is done the way I showed you. If you need any additional guidance - let us know and we are willing to help.

Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age

by Marcus Rediker

Thank you for the anecdote - that was interesting.

Bentley wrote: "Leslie, if you could just follow the rules and guidelines that would be great (smile) and if you edit 23 then I will delete this post. Thank you.

We are very happy that we are making you happy bu..."

how's that?

Great, Leslie, nice job.

Rediker is amazing. One of my favorite historians. And I really loved his point that many pirates were just guys who had to escape from GB after participating in one of the social movements. By the way, his The Slave Ship is also excellent.

Great to know, Inna, thanks. I guess legends and stories warped the view of pirates over time.

Don't forget to add the citation:

by Marcus Rediker

For those interested in piracy (including Villains of all Nations, listed below, which is among the best), David Cordingly, who has written several other books on piracy and maritime history, including Under the Black Flag, has a new book on Captain Woodes Rogers (~1679 - 1732). Rogers was once a privateer but later was appointed governor of the Bahamas and fought against Atlantic piracy. Cordingly's book recounts Rogers' many travels and experiences, but also touches on other noteworthy maritime events during this period, including the rescue of Alexander Selkirk, on whose experiences Defoe is believed to have based Robinson Crusoe.

by David Cordingly

Thanks Greg - great post

How many of us has heard of Grace O'Malley? Was she a myth or the real thing? The author shows that she was indeed the real thing and an Irish legend.


Ireland's Pirate Queen

by Anne Chambers (no photo)

Synopsis:

She was married twice, divorced once, took a lover when she wanted, and gave birth to one of her sons on the deck of her own ship. She was Grace O'Malley, the sixteenth-century Irish woman who provoked awe, anger, admiration, and fear in the English men who, by persuasion and by the sword, came to conquer the land of her birth.

Born in 1530, the daughter of an Irish chieftain, she inherited her father's taste for the seafaring life and eventually took command of his fleet of galleys and their hard-bitten, all-male crews. For fifty years she traded the clan's produce in Ireland, Scotland, and Spain, skillfully practiced the time-honored craft of piracy and plundering, and led rebellions against the invading English.

On land and sea she was a fearless leader, a political pragmatist, a ruthless mercenary, and a shrewd negotiator -- as shown in her fabled meeting with her rival and protector, Queen Elizabeth. And yet, as thrilling and fascinating as her life story is, what happened to her after her life is equally instructive.

She was literally "disappeared" from the pages of history, ignored by the official chroniclers and omitted from the great books of Irish and English history. Obviously, a woman who challenged the might of England and the traditional power of men -- a woman who did not let religious, social, or political convention get in her way -- could not be tolerated. But Grace O'Malley could not be erased from the hearts of her countrymen. Granuaile became a beloved figure in Irish folklore, the subject of countless stories, songs, and poems

The diver/explorer/treasure hunter Barry Clifford, who in 1984 uncovered a pirate ship that sank off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 1717, is in the news again today. Clifford's team has continued to work in the water near the shipwreck site and he believes there may be far more treasure lying under the sand than he first discovered.

Today's news article is below. Clifford's book describing his discovery of the pirate ship Whydah is a great read.



by Barry Clifford (no photo)

Fascinating Greg thank you and thank you for your adds too Jill

Just finished this book today (I wanted to read the book before seeing the movie). A terrific -- and frightening book -- about modern piracy. Working with the co-author Stephan Talty, Captain Phillips tells a fast-paced, intense story of his capture by Somali pirates in April 2009. The first-hand perspective of Phillips' capture, his near-execution, and his ultimate rescue is excellent. Indeed, what is missing from many historical records about men captured by pirates is insight into the emotions of the moment -- what captives felt like and how they survived -- and that is all here in this book.

by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty

This was a tricky book citation although you were close. It should look like this:

by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty

What did Cotton Mather have to do with pirates? One of the more surprising repercussions of Atlantic piracy during the 17th and 18th centuries was the tendency of Puritan leaders to drag sensational stories about pirates and their captives -- and sometimes the pirates themselves -- into the pulpit. Nobody in colonial America did this more forcefully than Cotton Mather.

The month of February marks the anniversaries of Mather's birth (February 12, 1663) and his death (February 13, 1728). Mather offered counsel to a long line of condemned pirates, ranging from Captain William Kidd (The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd) in the year 1700 to William Fly, who was executed in Boston several decades later, in 1726.

Zacks describes Mather's encounter with Captain Kidd, and Silverman is a good history of Mather.

by Richard Zacks

by Kenneth Silverman (no photo)

Interesting, I was not aware of Mather's role.

An upcoming book:
Release date: June 3, 2014

At the Point of a Cutlass: The Pirate Capture, Bold Escape, and Lonely Exile of Philip Ashton

by Gregory N. Flemming

Synopsis:

Based on a rare manuscript from 1725, At the Point of a Cutlass uncovers the amazing voyage of Philip Ashton -- a nineteen-year old fisherman who was captured by pirates, escaped on an uninhabited Caribbean island, and then miraculously arrived back home three years later to tell his incredible story.

Taken in a surprise attack near Nova Scotia in June 1722, Ashton was forced to sail across the Atlantic and back with a crew under the command of Edward Low, a man so vicious he tortured victims by slicing off an ear or nose and roasting them over a fire. “A greater monster,� one colonial official wrote, “never infested the seas.� Ashton barely survived the nine months he sailed with Low’s crew -- he was nearly shot in the head at gunpoint, came close to drowning when a ship sank near the coast of Brazil, and was almost hanged for secretly plotting a revolt against the pirates.

Like many forced men, Ashton thought constantly about escaping. In March of 1723, he saw his chance when Low’s crew anchored at the secluded island of Roatan, at the western edge of the Caribbean. Ashton fled into the thick, overgrown woods and, for more than a year, had to claw out a living on the remote strip of land, completely alone and with practically nothing to sustain him. The opportunity to escape came so unexpectedly that Ashton ran off without a gun, a knife, or even a pair of shoes on his feet. Yet the resilient young castaway -- who has been called America’s real-life Robinson Crusoe -- was able to find food, build a crude shelter, and even survive a debilitating fever brought on by the cool winter rains before he was rescued by a band of men sailing near the island. Based on Ashton’s own first-hand account, as well trial records, logbooks, and a wealth of other archival evidence, At the Point of a Cutlass pieces together the unforgettable story of a man thrust into the violent world of a pirate ship and his daring survival and escape.

Thank you Jerome for the add.

Buccaneers of the Caribbean: How Piracy Forged an Empire

by Jon Latimer (no photo)

Synopsis:

During the seventeenth century, sea raiders known as buccaneers controlled the Caribbean. Buccaneers were not pirates but privateers, licensed to attack the Spanish by the governments of England, France, and Holland. Jon Latimer charts the exploits of these men who followed few rules as they forged new empires.

Lacking effective naval power, the English, French, and Dutch developed privateering as the means of protecting their young New World colonies. They developed a form of semi-legal private warfare, often carried out regardless of political developments on the other side of the Atlantic, but usually with tacit approval from London, Paris, and Amsterdam. Drawing on letters, diaries, and memoirs of such figures as William Dampier, Sieur Raveneau de Lussan, Alexander Oliver Exquemelin, and Basil Ringrose, Jon Latimer portrays a world of madcap adventurers, daredevil seafarers, and dangerous rogues.

Piet Hein of the Dutch West India Company captured, off the coast of Cuba, the Spanish treasure fleet, laden with American silver, and funded the Dutch for eight months in their fight against Spain. The switch from tobacco to sugar transformed the Caribbean, and everyone scrambled for a quick profit in the slave trade. Oliver Cromwell s ludicrous Western Design a grand scheme to conquer Central America fizzled spectacularly, while the surprising prosperity of Jamaica set England solidly on the road to empire. The infamous Henry Morgan conducted a dramatic raid through the tropical jungle of Panama that ended in the burning of Panama City.

From the crash of gunfire to the billowing sail on the horizon, Latimer brilliantly evokes the dramatic age of the buccaneers.

Jerome wrote: "An upcoming book:
Release date: June 3, 2014 At the Point of a Cutlass: The Pirate Capture, Bold Escape, and Lonely Exile of Philip Ashton

On this day in history, on April 26, 1717, the pirate ship Whydah, under the command of Samuel Bellamy, sank late at night off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Only two of the more than 130 men aboard the Whydah survived. That shipwreck is still in the news today because a team of divers led by Barry Clifford discovered the Whydah wreck on the ocean floor about three decades ago, and they continue to pull up gold, weapons, and artifacts -- many of which are on display at the Pirate Museum in Provincetown, MA.

Clifford's book on his efforts to find the sunken shipwreck is a great read.

by Barry Clifford (no photo)

Nice, Gregory, very interesting.

That sounds very interesting Gregory - thank you.

Piracy: The Complete History

by Angus Konstam (no photo)

Synopsis:

When we think of pirates we conjure up images of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, or even fictional pirates such as Long John Silver, Captain Hook and Captain Jack Sparrow. These historical characters all hailed from one period. Known as "The Golden Age of Piracy", this period only lasted around a quarter of a century - from around 1700 until 1725. However, piracy has been around a lot longer than that. In fact ever since people started venturing onto the sea, others were waiting to waylay them.

Pirate expert Angus Konstam sails through the brutal history of piracy, from the pirates who plagued the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans to the Viking raids on northern Europe through the golden age of piracy and on to the era of privateers who flourished during a period of constant warring on the European continent. He then examines the West's initial encounters with Eastern pirates off the Chinese coast whose confederations had sprung up in the 17th century and whose actions were severely hampering the West by the 19th century. Finally Konstam examines the phenomenon of the modern pirate, preying on modern super tankers. The reality of piracy is that it is a vicious, often deadly business. By separating the realities of piracy from the Hollywood-inspired fiction, and by tracing the development of piracy through the centuries, this book gives a realistic vision of what piracy actually involves.

The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates

by Peter T. Leeson (no photo)

Synopsis:

Pack your cutlass and blunderbuss--it's time to go a-pirating! The Invisible Hook takes readers inside the wily world of late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century pirates. With swashbuckling irreverence and devilish wit, Peter Leeson uncovers the hidden economics behind pirates' notorious, entertaining, and sometimes downright shocking behavior. Why did pirates fly flags of Skull & Bones? Why did they create a "pirate code"? Were pirates really ferocious madmen? And what made them so successful? The Invisible Hook uses economics to examine these and other infamous aspects of piracy. Leeson argues that the pirate customs we know and love resulted from pirates responding rationally to prevailing economic conditions in the pursuit of profits.

The Invisible Hook looks at legendary pirate captains like Blackbeard, Black Bart Roberts, and Calico Jack Rackam, and shows how pirates' search for plunder led them to pioneer remarkable and forward-thinking practices. Pirates understood the advantages of constitutional democracy--a model they adopted more than fifty years before the United States did so. Pirates also initiated an early system of workers' compensation, regulated drinking and smoking, and in some cases practiced racial tolerance and equality. Leeson contends that pirates exemplified the virtues of vice--their self-seeking interests generated socially desirable effects and their greedy criminality secured social order. Pirates proved that anarchy could be organized.

Revealing the democratic and economic forces propelling history's most colorful criminals, The Invisible Hook establishes pirates' trailblazing relevance to the contemporary world.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Merchant Seamen, Pirates and the Anglo-American Maritime World, 1700-1750

by Marcus Rediker

Synopsis:

The common seaman and the pirate in the age of sail are romantic historical figures who occupy a special place in the popular culture of the modern age. And yet in many ways, these daring men remain little known to us. Like most other poor working people of the past, they left few first-hand accounts of their lives. But their lives are not beyond recovery. In this book, Marcus Rediker uses a huge array of historical sources (court records, diaries, travel accounts, and many others) to reconstruct the social cultural world of the Anglo-American seamen and pirates who sailed the seas in the first half of the eighteenth century. Rediker tours the sailor's North Atlantic, following seamen and their ships along the pulsing routes of trade and into rowdy port towns. He recreates life along the waterfront, where seafaring men from around the world crowded into the sailortown and its brothels, alehouses, street brawls, and city jail.

His study explores the natural terror that inevitably shaped the existence of those who plied the forbidding oceans of the globe in small, brittle wooden vessels. It also treats the man-made terror--the harsh discipline, brutal floggings, and grisly hangings--that was a central fact of life at sea. Rediker surveys the commonplaces of the maritime world: the monotonous rounds of daily labor, the negotiations of wage contracts, and the bawdy singing, dancing, and tale telling that were a part of every voyage. He also analyzes the dramatic moments of the sailor's existence, as Jack Tar battled wind and water during a slashing storm, as he stood by his "brother tars" in a mutiny or a stike, and as he risked his neck by joining a band of outlaws beneath the Jolly Roger, the notorious pirate flag. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea focuses upon the seaman's experience in order to illuminate larger historical issues such as the rise of capitalism, the genesis the free wage labor, and the growth of an international working class. These epic themes were intimately bound up with everyday hopes and fears of the common seamen.

Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean: How a Generation of Swashbuckling Jews Carved Out an Empire in the New World in Their Quest for Treasure, Religious Freedom--and Revenge

by Edward Kritzler (no photo)

Synopsis:

In this lively debut work of history, Edward Kritzler tells the tale of an unlikely group of swashbuckling Jews who ransacked the high seas in the aftermath of the Spanish Inquisition. At the end of the fifteenth century, many Jews had to flee Spain and Portugal. The most adventurous among them took to the seas as freewheeling outlaws. In ships bearing names such as the Prophet Samuel, Queen Esther, and Shield of Abraham, they attacked and plundered the Spanish fleet while forming alliances with other European powers to ensure the safety of Jews living in hiding. Filled with high-sea adventures–including encounters with Captain Morgan and other legendary pirates�Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean reveals a hidden chapter in Jewish history as well as the cruelty, terror, and greed that flourished during the Age of Discovery.

The Pirates' Pact: The Secret Alliances Between History's Most Notorious Buccaneers and Colonial America

by Douglas R. Burgess Jr. (no photo)

Synopsis:

Was classical piracy an earlier version of state-sponsored terrorism? Here's the story of how almost every well-known buccaneer of the "Golden Age of Piracy" enjoyed active sponsorship from England's governors in the American colonies- setting a pattern of official disobedience to the Crown that would ultimately contribute to the American push for independence. Relying on rare primary sources discovered in government archives in England, the Carolinas, Rhode Island, Jamaica, and elsewhere, Burgess combines true tales of derring-do with groundbreaking research in this fascinating history.