The Pirates Own Book: Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers (Paperback)

~ Marine Research Society (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Rare volume, based on actual documents, recounts in lurid detail the life, atrocities and bloody death of the infamous Black Beard as well as the cold-blooded exploits of Jean Lafitte, Robert Kidd, Edward Low, Thomas White, Anne Bonney, Mary Read and scores of other maritime marauders. Enhanced with over 70 atmospheric wood engravings. Introduction. xv + 479pp.

Product Details

• Paperback: 494 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (May 24, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486276074
• ISBN-13: 978-0486276076
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #611,727 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Semi-Narrative History, September 17, 2002

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

After you've read a few dozen books on pirates and piracy, you start to notice that they, mostly, repeat the same stuff over and over again. There IS material in here that I have not seen in other books; however, a good portion is rewritten from Captain Charles Johnson's A General History of Pirates.

The book is reprinted from the 1837 version and an entertaining read. It is not generally a children's book. As to the factual nature of the narratives, it's hard to say. Like several of the other pirate books I have reviewed, this one is an important part of balanced view of what piracy is really about. P-)

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic on Piracy of all Times, and in the Seven Seas..., November 25, 2000

By	Sebastián Ignacio Donoso B. (Quito, Ecuador, South America) - See all my reviews

"The Pirates Own Book" is written in old, Nineteenth Century English, which provides the reader with an archaic atmosphere that allows a better undestanding of the characters and their times. Its illustrations are worth mentioning because they are beautiful and imaginative engravings that have been reproduced in some of the most important works on Piracy. The book covers a wide period in History: from the Medieval Norman and Danish Sea Robbers to the cases of piracy in the first half of the Nineteenth Century. Even though, it lacks to mention the ancient Mediterranean Piracy in the times of Alexander and, later on, in the Roman Times. Something really interesting of this book is that it includes narrations of pirates from all five continents, demonstrating that piracy has existed in all the seas since Maritime Commerce was applied. The lives of some of the least known pirates, such as the Chilean Vincent Benavides and the Spanish Benito de Soto are covered in this volume. "The Pirates Own Book" is highly recommendable for all readers interested in piracy, for it is mentioned as first hand source in many works.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book...but beware!, January 4, 1999

By	[e-mail] "butina3" (Solomon's Temple, Latrobe, PA) - See all my reviews

This is a good read, but you better be ready for the original 18th and 19th century language. It is authentic, and is often more disturbing than romantic (as we've come to expect of pirate books).