Customer Reviews

Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First published in 1898, at a time when pulp-fiction was hitting its stride with wild west stories, Stockton presents us with a series of semi-biographies of pirates from the 18th century and later. He focuses primarily on the buccaneers, but verges over into the Golden Age of Piracy for the last few pirates. The list of pirates chronicled include: Peter the Great (aka Pierre Le Grand), Bartholemy Portuguez, John Esquemeling, Roc Braziliano, Francois L'Olonnois, Henry Morgan, Raveneau de Lussan, Blackbeard (aka Edward Teach), Stede Bonnet, Richard Worley, Mary Read, Anne Bonny, Edward Low, Jean Lafitte and William Kidd.

There is a basis in fact, much of it taken from the writing of John Esquemeling. The author has also seen fit to flesh out the stories with fictional bits, meant to make for more entertaining reading (a la pulp fiction). And, it is entertaining reading. The stories have also been sanitized for younger readers, so parents do not need to worry about excessive violence and unsavory images. My version has only two pictures, the cover and the title page.

Overall, this is an excellent semi-introduction to pirates once young readers have passed the level of picture books like the Eyewitness series. I would put the age scale at about pre-teens to early teens.