Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader [Paperback]

C.R. Pennell (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0814766781 | ISBN-13: 978-0814766781 | Publication Date: April 1, 2001

The romantic fiction of pirates as swashbuckling marauders terrorizing the high seas has long eclipsed historical fact. Bandits at Sea offers a long-overdue corrective to the mythology and the mystique which has plagued the study of pirates and served to deny them their rightful legitimacy as subjects of investigation.

With essays by the foremost scholars on these countercultural "social bandits"as Lingua Franca recently dubbed themthis collection examines various aspects of the phenomenon in the three main areas where it occurred: the Caribbean/Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and East Asia. We come to understand who pirates were, as well as the socio-economic contexts under which they developed and flourished.

Comparisons between various types of piracy illustrate differences in practice and purpose between pirates of different areas; social histories, including examinations of women pirates and their historical significance and circumstances, offer similar insight into the personal lives of pirates from diverse regions. Far from serving as dens of thieves, pirate ships were often highly regulated microcosms of democracy. The crews of pirate vessels knew that majority rule, racial equality and equitable division of spoils were crucial for their survival, marking them as significantly more liberal than national governments.

Scholars, students and a general audience ever intrigued by talesand now truthsof piracy on the high seas will welcome Bandits at Sea.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A thoroughly worthy and groundbreaking addition to the historiography of crime at sea."

-Sea History,

"Bandits at Sea provides the first comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to piracy. From history to geography, economics to sociology, sexuality to politics, Pennell's anthology brings together the best of current scholarship."

-Peter Galvin,Author of Patterns of Pillage: A Geography of Caribbean-based Piracy,1536--1718

"Long overdue! Stunning in breadth and depth, Bandits at Sea is the pirate historian's who's-who rendesvous. Pennell has pulled together for the first time the best and most recent scholarly work on piracy in the context of the wider world. A fresh look at an old topic. Highly recommended!"

-Kris Lane,College of William & Mary

"Technically well produced, with a generous allowance of illustrative plates and a good index."

-S. D. Smith,International Journal of Maritime History

"Each of the twelve authors deftly plumb the depths of documentary sources, literary analyses, personal observations, biographical and historical accounts to improve vastly on the seemingly two-dimensional nature of the pirate."

-The Great Circle: Journal of the Australian Association for Maritime History,

About the Author

C. R. Pennell is al-Tajir Lecturer in Middle East History and Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne and author of Morocco since 1830, also available from NYU Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814766781
• ISBN-13: 978-0814766781
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful collection of research!, August 7, 2003

By 

Rachel E. Pollock (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader (Paperback)

This book is a collection of scholarly essays on the subject of historical piracy the world over. It's divided into two sections, "Situating Piracy" and "Pirates in Action."

Essays in the first section are more general/historical, discussing piracy in general as a career, its effects on local economies and politics, its role in warfare and trade. Personally I didn't much care for this section, largely because I'm more of a scholar of the story of the individual and i already have a pretty good working grasp of how piracy related to these other areas of societal structure. I imagine though that if you are relatively new to piratical research this section would be very handy in getting a grasp on this sort of background and "worldview" perspective.

The second section focuses more on specific pirates/crews/ships/cultures, and spans a wide range of topics, from Cheng I Sao's Chinese pirate fleet, to minorities in piracy (gays, blacks, women, etc), to the little-known pirate culture of the Adriatic Uskoks. This section I found to be completely engrossing and wonderfully rich with research and detail, on subjects one rarely sees explored in depth (though perhaps moreso of late as piracy scholarship becomes wider-known and more popular as a subject of academic research).

There's a section of illustration plates in the center of the book, comprised of various historical/period woodcuts, engravings, maps, portraits, diagrams, and other media, including a facinating diagram of the "genealogy" of pirate crews in the golden age of piracy--apparently all pirate crews at the time could be traced through the training of the captains, who sprang off from whose crews to man their own ships, which all originated with two "paterfamilias" pirate captains, Hornigold and Low.

I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in piratical research!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An important collection of articles on piracy, March 2, 2009

By 

Anthony L. Pritchard (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader (Paperback)

Pirates At Sea is an excellent set of 15 articles edited by C. R. Pennell. It is a book suitable for those with a more scholarly interest in the subject of piracy at sea. The title is a little misleading in the sense that it could attract readers looking for narratives arout piracy. For me, however, it provided both comment and anaysis of questions I am particularly concerned about. It is a thoroughly stimulating set of readings.

3.0 out of 5 stars Complicated look at piracy, January 28, 2011

By 

stmaan01 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader (Paperback)

This book is a very detailed discussion about golden age piracy in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Asian waters. If you do not have a general background of pirates, this book could be rather difficult to grasp, as it is a compilation of essays and articles from scholars and experts. Great for college classrooms.