Customer Reviews

Pirates: Terror on the High Seas-From the Caribbean to the South China Sea

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This is an excellent coffee-table introduction to pirates, well worth the $29.95 for those interested in the subject. The book's chapters are written by different authors, who generally keep the prose crisp and readable, although there are occasional "dry" areas. The chapters are: The Lure of Spanish Gold, Brethren of the Coast, Buccaneer Explorers, Corsairs of the Mediterranean, The Golden Age of Piracy, Libertalia: The Pirate's Utopia, The Pirate Round, French and American Privateers, The Eastern Seas, Chinese Pirates, and Piracy Today. What really makes the book worthwhile is the excellent collection of illustrations and artifacts that accompany the text. Of special noteworthyness is the photo on page 9 of some beheaded pirates. The book is very well designed, and very conducive to leisurely reading, bit by bit. Some of the information is repeated across chapters, which is prone to happen when there are different contributors (although the editors should still have excised the repetitive parts). The chapter "Corsairs of the Mediterranean" was probably the most engaging for me, both in terms of the writing, and the vast amount of interesting history presented. I felt two chapters that could have been really interesting, but unfortunately failed to be were "The Eastern Seas," and "Chinese Pirates." I would definitely recommend this book as a beginning text to anyone with an interest in pirates.

"Pirates" is a very well documented book on the history of pirates throughout the ages, from Ancient Greece to the present. Each chapter is written by a specialist in each theme, which makes the reading amusing because of some different points of view of the authors about the same aspects of piracy. No other book on piracy unites so many highly qualified historians on this theme. The reader will be amazed with the pictures, drawings and maps, a remarkable aspect of the book, which makes this full - color edition unique. I have not found such a good and complete pictography on pirates elsewhere. The book includes innovating chapters with new information, such as the last one, entitled "Piracy Today". Since this theme has not been covered by many authors, the chapter constitutes an excellent reference for people interested in doing further investigation. Even though, "Pirates" does not constitute a complete work on piracy, it can best be defined as a glance at sea banditry in different places and times. All the chapters captured me but left me with a sense of "wanting more", which has encouraged me to search for more books on every aspect of Pirate History. Pirates is an excellent book as an introduction to the study of piracy.

This large and attractive book gives the history of pirates from the 1600s to today. Organized primarily chronologically, but also by region, the book traces the history of piracy from pirates sailing the Spanish Main, through the Barbary Corsairs, French and American pirates, Chinese pirates of the nineteenth century, and pirates around the world at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Overall, I found this to be a fascinating book. Plus, what makes the book even nicer is that it is chock-full of large and interesting pictures. Is this a coffee-table book? I suppose so, but it is an excellent history book, sure to please anyone interested in learning more about pirates and piracy. I give this book my highest recommendations!

Titled as an Illustrated History, this book is a step up from the usual history of piracy in that it is lavishly illustrated throughout with a variety of maps, painting reproductions and pictures of artifacts.

David Cordingly is the editor of this collection of essays that cover the prominent periods of piracy from the Spanish settlement of the western hemisphere to the present. The topics span the early raids on the Spanish by the various representatives of other European powers, buccaneers, Mediterranean corsairs, Golden Age, pirate round, privateers, Chinese and eastern pirates as well as modern day piracy. Each topic is covered by a different author (although at three topics, Jenifer Marx may be a little over represented).

Overall, this is an excellent introduction/overview of piracy. I found no glaring omissions, nor extreme theories in what amounts to a very solid collection of prose; I particularly liked the topic on French and American privateers, a topic not often found so well detailed. While I still prefer Angus Konstam's The History of Piracy as an illustrated introduction to the overall topic, this book runs a firm second.
P-)

This book is exquisite. Highly detailed, with rich lush paintings and drawings, it fully explores the many aspects of a rover's life. I highly recommend it.

I bought this book sight unseen, and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. It is a large book, well suited to a coffee table type of use, and is filled with fascinating engravings and paintings throughout. Of special note are the cutaways of pirate sloops and galleys, and the dramatic art by the well-known artist Howard Pyle. The chapters are written by several different authors, each a specialist in a different area, and is woven into order by editor and maritime expert David Cordingly. Sidebar pictures also serve to spice up the already engrossing text, which covers the birth of piracy through current pirates. All things considered, this is a work which no pirate enthusiast should be without

The 1996 issue of this book is the first edition. The 1998 book is a second edition. This book contains many color pictures and is very detailed. It is a 8 1/2 by 11 inch book and about 1 inch thick. David Cordingly is an excellent writer. One of the well known authors of pirate books.

fairly good book about pirates, though it would have been nice to hear something about like a secret island, something about the secret life of pirates. a good book anyways, though