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A History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit disorganized but not as dry as some history I've read.,
By
This review is from: History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas (Hardcover)
History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas focuses on piracy in the Caribbean sea, from the 1500s to the early 1800s. The biggest problem with the book is that it is not particularly well organized. The chapters are relatively well ordered but internal to the chapter, the author will introduce one topic, then drift away from it, before returning to his reported topic. This led me to need to reread some passages, to determine exactly who or what he was writing about. This is particulary evident as he starts to discuss an individual pirate, begins discussing an associated pirate or two, and then returns to the first one. The information seems accurate enough, but much f it appears to be drawn from the writings of other authors. Fortunately, it is not written from a standard academic (Self-important and wordy) approach and is relatively easy to read. In many places it even seems to draw the reader on. I would have preferred a more organized approach, and possibly an appendix of famous pirates, but overall I found the book an adequate diversion.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Merry Life and a Short One,
By
This review is from: History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas (Hardcover)
A rambling work at best. The author does indeed drift around at times, leaving a topic unfinished to explore other avenues before returning to the original topic. We, also, are not talking about much in the way of original material (much of it comes from Captain Charles Johnson, Alexandre Exquemelin, and recent authors like David Cordingly).
However, there are redeeming qualities to the book. For one it is an entertaining read, the author uses a smooth style that makes for easy reading. The author covers a range of topics from ships, weapons and havens to the origins of and suppression of piracy during the Golden Age. There are numerous names mentioned, from the well known and notorious to the lesser know footnotes in history. The period covered spans from the early 1500s to the early 1800s, told for the most part from the English and French point of view. In short, a good book for an overview or brief reference (although I still recommend David Cordingly or Angus Konstam for broader, more polished coverage or pirates). P-)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Second Edition Could Bring Some Improvements,
By
This review is from: History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas (Hardcover)
Cawthorne' History of Pirates, although not academically rigorous, is approached in a somewhat systematic fashion and provides an interesting, readable description of a unique chapter in history. Rather than compose a treatise on particular pirates and their idiosyncrasies, Cawthorne describes the prate era, roughly 1780 - 1830, with a wide brush. The author explores the global political situation of the times, the constant warfare between Britain, France and Spain, the booming colonial expansion, and the role pirates played in shaping the New World. In addition, Cawthorne depicts a pirate's life aboard ship and the unique social structure which accompanies life on the high seas. If I could make a suggestion, Cawthorne could have spent more time on his chapters on weapons and ships. The work in these segments was marginal at best and seems out of place wedged between sections on "the richest and wickedest city in the new world," and life aboard ships. Nevertheless, I found History of Pirates an interesting and insightful beginning to a more in depth understanding of the Caribbean pirates, but this work would not be a one volume history of the subject.
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