Caribbean Pirates: A Treasure Chest of Fact, Fiction, and Folklore [Paperback]

George Beahm (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Is a pirate's life for you? Here's how to live the life of a Caribbean pirate!
Think you know everything there is to know about pirates, do you? Well me bucko, you've got a lot to learn, and here's where you can drink your fill!


Recommended by Pat Croce (of Pirate Soul) and two leading pirate magazines (No Quarter Given and Pyrates Way), Caribbean Pirates is an engaging look at pirate history through the lens of the Disney film franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean -- explaining fact from Hollywood fiction. With art especially commissioned by former Disney Imagineer Tim Kirk and 145 color photos, this book not only features over four dozen essays about pirate life ("Were pirates really hung?" and "Were there cannibals in the Caribbean?") but also a wealth of information on how to talk, dress, and live like a pirate: drink your fill at festivals, cruises, and museums with pirate exhibits. The book concludes with recommended resources (books, movies, and websites). A "no holds barred" look at the colorful cutthroats that cruised and plundered the Caribbean!

Editorial Reviews

Review

George Beahm s new guidebook is a vital source that answers more than 40 questions about piracy, lists pirate festivals and museums all over the country, and tells readers how to act like a proper pirate. It goes beyond the movies, exploring the facts behind the fiction. This full-color source book, unlike the children s books or dry adult tomes preceding it, describes the Golden Age of Caribbean pirates with more than 20 new illustrations by Hugo-Award-winning illustrator Tim Kirk and 100 photos. George Beahm is a pop culture guru whose books cover subjects ranging from Anne Rice to Middle Earth. --PMS, The Independent Book Publishers Association

Caribbean Pirates strives to be "the go-to sourcebook for all things piratical." It provides a history of the "golden age of pirates," to be sure, but it also includes guides to modern pirate festivals and museums, complete with details on how to dress, talk, walk and negotiate like a pirate. --Sun-Sentinal

Readers passionate about the Disney movies and those who can not get enough of pirates and their lore will find this book an entertaining and informative read. --Voya

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 233 pages
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Pub Co (May 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571745416
• ISBN-13: 978-1571745415
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a full-time writer specializing in non-fiction, mostly pop culture topics. On the side, I run a small company that handles producing art prints and also handle the sales of collectibles online through eBay. I live in southeast Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent companion to all things pirate, April 28, 2007

By 

Stephen Spignesi - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Caribbean Pirates: A Treasure Chest of Fact, Fiction, and Folklore (Paperback)

As he did with his books on Harry Potter and Stephen King, George Beahm has done it again with CARIBBEAN PIRATES: He has taken the historically rich subject of pirates and presented just about everything you could possibly want to know about them in a readable, accessible format. The book bills itself as a treasure chest of fact and lore and that is, in fact, the term that immediately comes to mind when you pick the book up. It is gorgeously designed with a great array of photos; it has beautiful French flaps that open to a full-size map on the end papers. Inside, the design is equally lush and appealing. The photos, many of which were taken by the author, span the gamut of pirate history, legend, and popular culture.

But what makes a book worthy of a reader's time and money is not its design, but its content. What's inside. And in this, Beahm also delivers spectacularly. The first section, "Pirate Fact and Fiction," is essentially a "Pirates FAQ." A question is asked; an answer is provided. And the questions are irresistible: "Did pirates consult voodoo priestesses?" "Did pirates use marooning as a punishment?" "Did pirates make their victims walk the plank?" And dozens more, all of which are answered clearly, and are great fun to read. (And I won't spoil said fun by providing the answers!)

The second part of the book is called "A Pirate's Life for You" and is basically a "how-to" on how to speak, dress, and live like a pirate. This, too is great fun. There's also a pirates quiz, and sections on pirate books, movies, websites, and memorabilia. There's also a glossary of pirate terms, including a section on "Insulting Terms." You'll learn that calling someone a "bilge rat" is a great way to start a fight, if you're so inclined.

The Disney PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films have spurred interest in all things pirate, and George Beahm's CARIBBEAN PIRATES is the perfect companion to the whole pirate experience. It's concise, clearly written, historically accurate, and, above all, a delight to read. Recommended.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yo ho!, May 28, 2007

By 

Jan Strnad (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Caribbean Pirates: A Treasure Chest of Fact, Fiction, and Folklore (Paperback)

I'd like to add my voice to the chorus of praise for Beahm's latest volume!

Despite its pirate-booty of information on the hard facts and history of pirate life, the book remains completely accessible and as breezy as a Caribbean night. Young adult readers in particular, their curiosity piqued by the Disney films, will find CARIBBEAN PIRATES an enticing port of entry to the legendary world of piracy.

So, if it's a pirate's life for you, pour yourself a flagon of grog and set sail with Captain "Scurvy Dog" Beahm and his loyal crew of cutthroats. Yo ho, me mateys!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sheer delight, May 16, 2007

By 

Neil L. York - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Caribbean Pirates: A Treasure Chest of Fact, Fiction, and Folklore (Paperback)

This truly is a "gem" of a book, as one reviewer already noted. Using Disney's efforts--both on film and in theme parks--as his tie-in, the author adroitly and pithily talks about pirate culture, and does so in a way that will fascinate young adult as well as adult readers. Smartly organized, beautifully illustrated, this book is a good read and would make a terrific gift.