Privateers & Pirates 1730-1830 (Elite) [Paperback]

Angus Konstam (Author), Angus McBride (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2001 | Series: Elite (Book 74)

Following the pirate scourge of the early 18th century, many sea captains took to privateering as a means of making money. A form of nationally sponsored piracy, it reached its peak during the American Revolution (1763-1776), when the fledgling American navy had to rely on privateers to disrupt British shipping between England and the rebellious colonies. Following peace in 1815, many former privateers turned to piracy, spawning the last great piratical wave, which would last for a decade. The world of these privateers and latter-day pirates comes vividly to life in this detailed exploration of their ships, crews, ports and battle tactics.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An unrivalled illustrated reference source on fighting men and commanders, past and present. Each volume is packed with full colour artwork, making military history uniquely accessible to enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Angus Konstam hails from the Orkney Islands and is the author of over 20 books for Osprey. Formerly the Curator of Weapons in the Royal Armouries at the Tower of London, he also served as the Chief Curator of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. His maritime titles for Osprey include Elite 69: Buccaneers 1620-1700 and Elite 70: Elizabethan Sea Dogs 1560-1605. Angus lives in London, where he combines a freelance museum consultancy business with a career as a historian and writer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (May 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841760161
• ISBN-13: 978-1841760162
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With over 50 history books in print, Angus is a widely recognised and much-published historian. While he specialises in military and naval history he has also written numerous more general history books, designed to make the subject more accessible to a wider audience. Uniquely he has been able to draw on his expertise as a senior museum curator who has worked on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as on his academic training as a historian and as a maritime archaeologist.

His latest book is a full-length biography: Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate, which is published by Wiley & Sons. of New York (June 2006)

Angus is also just finished writing a history of the Allied landings at Salerno in September 1943 for the British publisher Pen & Sword, and he is currently working on a new project, with the working title of Supership: The Quest for the Renaissance Battleship.

Angus lives in Edinburgh, in Scotland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Overview, January 21, 2006

By 

David Stapleton (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Privateers & Pirates 1730-1830 (Elite) (Paperback)

This is an Osprey book, so you need to think in terms of an adult version of the Eyewitness picture books. You shouldn't expect an exhaustively comprehensive treatment of the subject, after all they tend to be only 1/4 inch thick.

So, with expectations aligned, this is a fairly well done treatment of the subject of privateers from the American Revolution through the War of 1812. There are quite a few pictures to compliment the text and the topics covered include their origins, methods, ports and ships. Konstam gives us some brief biographies of a few of the famous names like Haraden, Talbot, Jones, Surcouf, Boyle, Laffite, de Soto and Gibert.

An excellent overview suitable for adolescents and adults, for more detail on John Paul Jones you can check Evan Thomas' John Paul Jones, for more of an overview of privateers look for David Starkey's Pirates and Privateers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I fought the law, and the law won, January 23, 2012

By 

Gareth Simon (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Privateers & Pirates 1730-1830 (Elite) (Paperback)

From the Introduction -
"With the demise of the pirate scourge of the early 18th century, many sea captains took to privateering as a means of making money. This was a form of nationally-sponsored piracy which reached its peak during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Although a world-wide phenomenon, privateering proved particularly popular in the waters of the Americas. Rivalry between European powers and the rise of independence movements among the nations of the New World provided ample opportunities for privateering captains."

"A privateer is essentially someone who attacks the shipping of an enemy country during wartime with the approval of their own national government. This form of legitimised piracy proved extremely popular, and soon letters of reprisal or `letters of marque' were issued to almost anyone who applied for them. At minimal cost a nation could attack the maritime commerce of an enemy without diverting the resources of its national fleet. For small maritime powers such as the United States of America during the American Revolution anf the War of 1812, this proved a vital part of its maritime strategy."

"Where possible survey of privateering in the Americas has drawn on original material - letters of marque, shipping records from ports such as Salem and Baltimore, reminiscences of privateering captains and newspaper reports written during the last upsurge of piracy."

The Contents are -
P03: Contents
P05: Chronology
P07: The Development of Privateering
.Colonial Roots; The American Revolution; The War of 1812; The last pirates
P14: Organization and Recruitment
.Privateering contracts; Recruitment; Privateering crews
P022: The Privateering Art of War
`The Prey; The Chase; Boarding; Gunnery
P30: Privateering Vessels
P33-42: Colour Plates
P43: Privateer Captains and Latter-Day Pirates
.Jonathan Haraden; Silas Talbot; John Paul Jones; Robert Surcouf; Thomas Boyle; Jean Laffite; Benito de Soto; Pedro Gilbert
P50: Privateering Ports and Pirate Dens
Privateering ports - America; Britain and Canada; France; The last pirate dens - Barataria; Galveston; Cuba
P57: The Anti-Piracy Campaign of the 1820s
P58: Bibliography
P60: Plate Commentaries
P64: Index

The Colour Plates -
A: Early Revolutionary War Privateers off the coast of Rhode Island, 1775. This shows a longboat sneaking towards a small vessel at anchor.
B: John Paul Jones raiding the Earl of Selkirk's House, 1778. This shows the pirate Jones and four of his evil-looking men looting a room, as the Lady of the House looks on, while comforting two frightened maidservants.
C: Levi Barlow's Privateers attacked by Loyalists on Nantucket, 1782. This shows four figures sheltering behind a makeshift barricade, exchanging shots with the crew of the vessel that they had their eye on.
D: Robert Surcouf boarding a British East Indiaman, 1796. This shows Surcouf on the deck of the East Indiaman, flourishing his pistols as three of his crew swarm over the side behind him.
E: The Prince de Neufchatel, pursued by a British Frigate, 1814. This shows a small but heavily-gunned vessel with officers in the rigging and crew peering over the bulwarks at a Royal Navy vessel in the distance.
F: The General Armstrong repelling a British attack off Fayal, 1814.This shows two longboats of Royal marines attempting to board, with ships and harbour buildings in the background.
G: Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans, 1815. This shows Laffite and three crew at a cannon, behind an earthwork.
H: Commodore Porter and the `Mosquito Fleet'. This shows the Commodore descending the loading stage steps to an awaiting longboat, or possibly a barge.
I: Benito de Soto in Gibraltar, 1832. This is a street scene, with a former victim of de Soto raising the Hue and Cry as he recognises de Soto and some of his men.
J: `Don' Pedro Gebert on the `Mexican', 1832. This shows Don Pedro being rowed back to his ship, holding the chest of silver he has just looted, as in the background his men force the crew of the `Mexican' below decks prior to firing the ship.

There are many monochrome illustrations, mostly contemporary, supporting the text, which is well-written and readable. The author is an expert on the age of the wooden ship. The colour plates are excellent.