Pirates - Predators of the Seas: An Illustrated History [Hardcover]

Angus Konstam (Author), Roger Michael Kean (Author), David Cordingly (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

Pirates have captivated our imaginations for generations, and the popularity of the recent Pirates of the Caribbean films has planted them even more firmly in our minds. But what were pirates really like? Author Robert Ritchie guides us on a tour of piracy from ancient times through the present, and dispels the false image of pirates created by adventure stories and Hollywood. The truth is, unbelievably, even more intriguing than the fiction. Pirates were usually men (and sometimes women!) who turned to piracy in desperation—to avoid starvation or to save their own lives. They were from countries across the globe, from every social class, and of every race. Their average age was only twenty seven. In this lavishly illustrated book, you will see pirates’ brutal lives and bloody deaths, get a peek at their ships and the lives of their crews, and meet some of history’s most famous and infamous buccaneers. You’ll finally learn the truth about the way they lived and died. Full of color and history and danger, this book is as fun as a Johnny Depp movie—but it’s all true! 

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ignited by Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, interest in pirates is burgeoning, as Konstam and Kean note in the preface to this colorful reality check about piracy through the ages. Captain Jack owes many of his mannerisms to Rolling Stone Keith Richards, and though no real pirate limned here possesses Richards', or Depp's, star power, many exhibited real charisma, and that, Konstam and Kean show, has kept them alive in historical memory. Pirates having flourished elsewhere than in the Caribbean, the book offers round-the-world coverage but acknowledges that the sea thieves reached their acme with the likes of Hawkins, Blackbeard, and Kidd in . . . the Caribbean! Konstam and Kean also relate what little is known for sure of the famous female pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny. With colorful maps and illustrations aplenty, the book constitutes a wonderful starting point for acquainting oneself with the freebooters and buccaneers who were alternately heroes (privateers) and villains (pirates), even in their own day. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

A terrific introduction to the history of piracy....Loaded with full color maps, illustrations, and photographs...a delight to peruse. -- Houston Chronicle

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602390355
• ISBN-13: 978-1602390355
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roger Kean (also Roger M. Kean) has been writing for many years, but only in the past three as an author of published fiction. He has written three action tales based on a core of late-Victorian boys' adventures, available as eBooks from Smashwords.com, and two available for the Kindle, "Storm Over Khartoum" and "Avenging Khartoum". Having spent a stint at Hornsey College of Art studying painting, Kean attended the London Film School, where he began writing film scripts and his first attempts at full-scale novels. For eight years he edited film documentaries for the BBC before moving into full-time journalism. In the 1980s, as co-founder of magazine publisher Newsfield, he created and edited the best-selling CRASH magazine for the Spectrum home computer and then ZZAP!64 for the Commodore 64. Since then, Kean has authored several history reference titles, including the well-reviewed "The Complete Chronicle of the Emperors of Rome". Now he spends his time inventing new scenarios to populate with characters from the imagination. Kean lives with his partner in the medieval town of Ludlow, Shropshire, England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding History of Pirates, June 12, 2007

By 

John J. Browne "bookaholic" (Brooklyn, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pirates - Predators of the Seas: An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

This is a wonderfully written book which is a history of piracy from its roots in ancient Egypt right up to the present day. The book not only discusses the "Golden Age of Piracy" when Morgan, Blackbeard and Captain Kidd plied their trade in the Caribbean, but it also covers the extensive pirate activity in the ancient world as well as its modern manifestation. The links between the breakdown of social order or a political power vacuum and its effects on the rise of piracy during various historical ages are addressed as is the centuries long pirate conflict between Islam and Christendom during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. This is a well written historical work and the pirates are portrayed as the frequently ruthless and bloodthirsty men (and some women) they were rather than as the charming rogues of so many Hollywood motion pictures. The book is also full of detailed full color maps and pictures relating to piracy which both ably supplements the text as well as being esthetically pleasing in their own right. The principle author Angus Konstam was a commentator on a recent History Channel documentary on piracy and his in-depth knowledge of the subject makes this book enjoyable by both a serious student of the subject as well as the newly interested reader. In these days of "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies and the "Pirate Master" reality show this book is a welcome dose of historical fact into a subject which has been long been dominated by romantic fantasies

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource and general history, August 12, 2007

By 

Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pirates - Predators of the Seas: An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

This fascinating history begins with a discussion of who should be considered a pirate and quickly moves into the history of the trade, beginning with Greek pirates mentioned by Homer. There is much discussion of the development of ships and seafaring in the western world between 400 B.C and 1600. There is a brief history of piracy and boats of the South-China sea.
The text next moves to a general history of piracy from the Classical period. Beginning with Greek pirates such as the Aetolians and their descendants, the Cilician's it examines piracy in the Mediterranean world. Islamic pirates and their forbears are discussed.
The Vikings were the first `European' pirates and they were followed by the English. The first English record for the execution of a pirate dates from 1228. There were also pirates in the Baltic sea. Some of the worst pirates to plague Europe were the Barbary pirates from North Africa. As Muslims they raided as far as Ireland, taking Europeans as slaves to be sold in the markets of Algeria. But there was much mixing in the world of Piracy, the Barbaroosa Brothers, Christians, were famed pirates of the Mediterranean, working for the Turks. Malta, run by descendants of the Crusaders, also participated in Piracy.
However it was the British pirates such as Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins who served queen Elizabeth that are well known to those interested in Pirates. Their precursors in raids on the `Spanish' new world were the French Huguenots of the 16th century. In the 17th century the Buccaneers who became the typical pirates of the age. Men from many backgrounds, usually protestant, found their way to Hispaniola in the Caribbean and began plundering Spanish shipping. The pirates of this period did not merely take vessels, they plundered towns in places such as Panama and lake Maracaibo, destroying the economy and the settlements.
The Golden Age of piracy in the early 18th century is given much coverage, as its notorious pirates such as Blackbeard, Edward Teach, Woodes Rogers and Jack Rackham. The death of Batholomew Roberts in 1722 ended the `Golden Age' of piracy. Many pirate crews were hung for their deeds. The next pirates to appear on the scene coincide with the American revolution. 1835 marked the last execution of pirates in the U.S. Chapter twelve examines the history of Piracy in Asia and 13 examines the nature of `Pirate havens' and their cultures, and bring the history up to the present with a discussion of piracy off Somalia, the straits of Malacca and elsewhere.

This is a brilliant book with many photographs both of old paintings and modern photos of forts and boats. There are a plethora of highly detailed and informative maps which make this more than a history of piracy but also a history of the New world and the world as well. The subject matter is interesting and stories well told.

Seth J. Frantzman

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History buff, April 11, 2007

By 

Military history buff (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pirates - Predators of the Seas: An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

I think I've read almost every pirate book in print and I have to say that this is the top of the line. Great text, beautiful photos. The perfect gift for anyone who's interested in pirates.