Customer Reviews

The Pirate Primer: Mastering the Language of Swashbucklers & Rogues

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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A friend of mine (non-pirate) recommended this book, so I leafed through it without much expectation. Not being a fan of the genre, I expected to be none too interested. I was shocked to find that a couple of hours had passed when I looked back up! Really informative and, most importantly, fun to read. Great stuff. I've been recommending it highly to all my friends.

George Choundas and the folks at Writers Digest Books have published a handsomely bound book that should grace your pirate library. The look and feel of this book is absolutely fabulous. I'm sure some will wait for a soft cover edition to be printed but if you are one of them you will miss out on one of the joys of this book. The illustrations on the end pages and quality of the paper used for the interior pages make this hard bound first edition a must. If this book comes out in soft cover, it will be impossible to duplicate this fine workmanship.

As the subtitle of the Pirate Primer suggest, the book deals with the language of pirates. However, in discovering the language; you do learn something of the pirate life, both in fact and fiction. Choundas does not limit himself to the language of actual pirates but tackles the language as presented in works of literature, motion picture and television. In every case, the author states the word or phrase, provides a short definition and then provides an example of how the word or phrase is used. Choundas provides a citation for the examples which inform the reader of where they came from.

The book does not stop there. It also includes an entire chapter on the most famous pirate word uttered; that being "arrrgh!" It will come as no surprise to most pirate enthusiasts that are smart as paint that real pirates didn't say "arrrgh!"

The book also includes a lexicon of nautical terms that are sure to please anyone who has ever tried to read a seafaring book. You'll also get a section on food, drink, weapons and women.

If this isn't enough, you'll learn a hundreds of ways to greet your fellow pirate, bid the same adieu, and curse or compliment him/her.

And like a late night TV ad, I have to say "But wait, there's more." The book goes into great detail on how to form a pirate sentence, the use of adverbs and adjectives, positioning verbs, the use of transitive verbs, and other grammar rules as they apply to pirates Choundas actually covers the language as an English teacher would but the difference is you'll actually enjoy this textbook.

Did I mention the collection of Ship's Articles at the end of the book? Yep! You even get ship's articles with the Primer.


All in all, the entire book is a joy to read and joy to look at. Probably the only drawback is the lack of pictures. (That, and Choundas doesn't include any quotes from the movie The Black Swan) But let's face it; most of the pictures found in pirate books tend to be the same ones found everywhere else. In closing, not only will this book get you ready for the next Talk Like a Pirate Day, it will also make you want to rewatch all those old pirate movies and perhaps buy a pirate novel you haven't already read. The book will also act as a handy reference tool for the aspiring pirate author or acotr. Aye matey, This be your book if a pirate you must be.


Tobias Gibson

Ever wonder how in the world they come up with all that pirate lingo for movies like "Pirates of the Carribbean?" Wonder no more! This book is the definitive guide to pirate-speak. It details everything you would ever want to know about the eytmology, meaning, and use of all that pirate speak you've heard but can never adequate reproduce on your own. It is also filled with little-known facts and interesting stories about the pirating way.

Whether you are an aspirating pirate or an author or screenwriter needing to know the proper use of pirate speak this book is for you. The outline of the book is simple and indexed so well that you can always find exactly the term you need to define or the proper turn of phrase be it oath (burn and sink me), curse (you can up anchor and away to the devil), or respectful address (son of a sea dog). Additionally, the book's beautiful binding and pages (all the pages look like ancient parchment) makes this a great book to set out in your home or office as a facinating topic of conversation.

This is a great volume for a writer to add to his library. As people have probably mentioned, it's separated into handy categories such as "Retorts" and "Malapropisms." My only caveat for a writer of historical fiction is to watch out for the fictional sources, which seem to be the majority. I'm not sure how authentic they are and I'm wary of that. I'd stick with sources like "General History of the Pyrates," Woodes Rogers, Exquemelin, and William Dampier. I feel safe with Defoe and Marryat, as they were experienced seamen writing for contemporaries.

You cannot believe the creative ways I've come up with to use this primer in my workshops on how to conduct English grammar lessons. By having a book that's so much fun (and so timely what with Johnny Depp looking adorable in dreadlocks and gold-filled teeth) ESL and native-language grammar pupils really sit up and take notice. I love the look and feel of this book, too, and apart from using it as a language tool, I'm sending it out as a gift to every 'pirate lover' I know! Unique and well done!

Review by author of Harlot's Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss, and Greece

This is a unique and facinating book, the likes of which I had never known existed. I had no idea there was a "Pirate Language" any different than the English spoken by their countrymen at the time. The stories of the pirates themselves, both male and female, are savage, bloody and depraved: perfect summer reading material!

THE PIRATE PRIMER: MASTERING THE LANGUAGE OF SWASHBUCKLERS AND ROGUES represents the only general reference to examine the language of pirates, offering up a pirate vocabulary complete with pronunciation and grammar. Three centuries of distinctive terms and usages from TV, literature and history blend into entries organized by 'oaths', 'commands', 'retorts' and more. Any writer involved in pirate representation needs thorough knowledge of the lingo, making THE PIRATE PRIMER a pick for any writer's library.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The Pirate Primer: Mastering The Language Of Swashbucklers And Rogues by George Choundas is a must-have for any would-be buccaneer! This hefty book, I mean hefty, is not only a pirate dictionary of extraordinary girth but a literary source as well. This fellow Choundas must have had an obsession with Pirate Pop Culture because he mined everything from movies, to TV shows, novels, historical reference volumes, even the Disney Park ride for material for this book. Divided into handy and very logical parts, making it easy to get right to the info you need, i.e. Threats, Curses, Oath, Insults and Boarding Terms, In the heat of Battle terms, Nautical terms, and getting down to the nitty-grity of sentence structure and style, this book is way more than you could ever imagine until you see it! I was so very pleasantly surprised upon receipt of this book and haven't been able to get my nose out of it. It is also very handsome. My hard cover edition is period-looking enough to set out at the Pirate Faire as a prop, with its leather-like brown cover and its parchment-style pages and old-timey font. You won't be disappointed, mates!

Who would ever expect to find such a fun book! My daughter loves Pirates and I had read that Sept. 19 is talk like a Pirate book, she loves it! Only at Amazon would expect such a find!

I agree that this book is great for those times you might want to sit and read through the text. But in fact it has a more to offer than it can easily deliver. The research is deep and thorough but inaccessible in its current lay out...While reading Treasure Island I wanted to know what all the pirate means but alas i can't find the phrases quickly enough as I must search through ...curses...oaths...greeting etc.The structure of the book is too cumbersome to take full advantage of all it offers..I hope a new edition will come around then this pirates primer can take its proper place as a useful reference on the shelf near the dictionary. The work here deserves that spot...Now what exactly is "the black spot" any way ? Still looking through the book....