Customer Reviews

The Book of Pirates (Dover Children's Classics)

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I was thrilled when my parents found their 1921 hardcover edition of Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates! The Dover edition includes an extra story, "The Ruby of Kishmoor," (which I have read separately) and far more painted illustrations or quick sketches for the reader to enjoy. The cover of the book is one of the more extraordinary paintings done by Mr. Pyle.

The confusing thing is the title: is the book fiction, or does Pyle relate the facts of certain pirates? By the second chapter, it is evident the book is fiction loosely wrapped around real-life elements and historical characters. For example, "With the Buccaneers" utilizes Henry Morgan and some of his affairs, while "Jack Ballister's Fortunes" is about the downfall of Blackbeard. Both are fictionally portrayed while containing elements and dialogue reportedly true to the events of the time.

The first chapter, Buccaneers and Marooners of the Spanish Main, is probably a reprinting of Pyle's article (or an excerpt from the book) of the same name. In it, Pyle breezes over Pierre François, Bartholomew Portuguese, and Roch Braziliano, all of whom are several minor characters who helped instigate, in their small way, the piracies of the 17th century. Pyle continues by recounting brief histories of Captain Henry Morgan, who was knighted by King Charles II, and Captain Avary, whose exploits twisted against him. Captain Kidd gets but one paragraph asserting (and correctly so) he was never a true pirate. Pyle then focuses on tales regarding Blackbeard in and around the Carolinas; Captain Low, who revenged against Yankees; and Pyle then concludes by mentioning the likes of "Ned" England, Captain Howell Davis, and of course the great Bartholomew Roberts.

The chapters that follow are merely short stories that disappoint when it comes to swashbuckling affairs, but are entertaining nevertheless, and more so, probably, for younger readers. My favorite yarn in this book is "Tom Chist and the Treasure Box," where a young lad espies Captain Kidd burying a treasure chest late at night. The tale is so simple and so romantic that I enjoyed it immensely. "Blueskin" is perhaps the most mature story and most readers will relate to the struggles of lost love found here. The story is the darkest and most frightening of the collection. Unfortunately, "The Ruby of Kishmoor" is the silliest (and lengthiest) tale, with a hero who is the least bright of all heros set on paper.

The stories simply aren't as well written or as imaginative as I had hoped. The endings almost always find the hero as a wealthy victor with a new bride. But the book can be read quickly while your crew careens the ship.

The pictures (even the color ones) are poor reproductions. I have seen far better of Pyle's paintings. Too bad for me, as I bought this book for the artwork!

Pyle's pirate artwork is the finest in the genre , Unfortunately too little of it is on display in this book .

Definitive work by a Master Illustrator.
fine condition

This book is a collection of fictional pirate stories that is sure to entertain young adults. Some of the dialog is in the Old English format, but it is not that difficult to get through. I was dissapointed in the book because it was exclusively fiction and the stories were not even based on true stories. I would not recomend this book for anyone above the highschool grade level. It is a book of adventure stories that would appeal to young males. One of the strong points of this book is that it had excellent drawings. These drawings were spread throughout the book and helped you get an image of the story. If you are interested in the history of pirates don't make the mistake I did because you will be disappointed.