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A Merry Read an Bonney - Reading Suggestions

Another book some may be interested in is "A Pirate of Exquisite Mind," by Diana & Michael Preston. This book is about the Explorer, Naturalist, and Buccaneer William Dampier. William Dampier is a very interesting man. He sailed around the world three times when just crossing the Pacific was a major feat. He arrived in Australia 80 years before Captain Cook, and was the first explorer to visit five continents. This man was truly ahead of his time, but has been forgotten in history. After reading this book you can only ask yourself why.
 
A bit of a review, here...

<!--QuoteBegin-Meigger+May 13 2004, 06:43 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Meigger @ May 13 2004, 06:43 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->A good book on the Golden Age of Piracy is Barry Clifford's book "The Lost Fleet."  It is about the discovery of a fleet of French ships that sank on January 2, 1678 off the Venezuelan coast on the killer reef of Las Aves Island.  The book is an excellent account of historical discovery interwoven with period detail.
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I just finished this book, and was left with mixed feelings.

On the negative side, I felt that it was too short and lacking in substance. The historical and modern-day narratives didn't flow together well; the later being a rather dry account of a mapping expedition generously sprinkled with the author taking snarky jabs at a sketchy business associate. It got old fast.

Also the illustrations that filled the book were mostly generic fluff. Quite often I'd be aching for a specific diagram of a wrecksite (or an island map, or a reproduction of an historical document) that the author was describing, only to be rewarded with a crude "This is what a galleon looked like." line drawing or a generic dive photo.

That said...

Despite the book's short length, split focus, lack of depth, etc., the historical thread was REALLY interesting. I learned a lot about several early, prominent filibusters, as well as the rapidly changing political tensions that surrounded them. This book gave me a nice taste of buccaneer politics (circa 1670s-1700s), and I'll definitely seek out further reading because of it. It was a great primer to an era of pirate life I didn't know much about.

I picked this book up used, and because of that I'd say it was worth the cost. The book is worth a read if you don't know much about fascinating filibusters like Paine, de Grammont , Van Hoorn, etc.
 
Ahoy Trustworthy! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />

Welcome back! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/doff.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":doff" border="0" alt="doff.gif" />

Meigger, I got a copy of "A Pirate of Exquisite Mind", but I'm starting "Caribean" by James Michener, first because my mother-in-law wants to read it when I'm done with it, and I'm hoping that the mere mentioning of James Michener will set off the firestorm of controversy that usually follows doing that, in the posts that follow in this thread...
 
<!--QuoteBegin-SirChristopherMings+Aug 22 2005, 04:16 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SirChristopherMings @ Aug 22 2005, 04:16 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->...I'm hoping that the mere mentioning of James Michener will set off the firestorm of controversy that usually follows doing that, in the posts that follow in this thread...
<div align="right">[snapback]128743[/snapback]</div><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->No storm be comin' from Fred Bob o'er dat Michener cove 'ere, Sir Chris, me matey! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huhh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":eek:k" border="0" alt="huhh.gif" />

Fred Bob be about a quarter into <i>The Commodore </i>, book nummer 17 by O'Brian, whar Aubrey an' Maturin be fixin' tew head off fer de coast o' Africa wid a squadron tew hep frustrate de slave trade! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bookish.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="bookish.gif" />
 
I've got Micheners Caribbean somewhere here and have been considering having a read of it.

Currently reading The Hundred Days by O'Brien... hope I can fill the void after completing this series.

Also queued up to read is The Bounty by Caroline Alexander and
H M Bark Endeavour by Ray Parkin.

I've already skimmed through a bit of Endeavour. Great technical description of the ship (plenty of plans, diagrams and illustrations), its fit out, crew, etc, and background to Cooks voyage of 1769-70 to the Pacific. Major content draws directly from the ships log and journals of Cook, Banks and others, during the course of this voyage.

The book on William Dampier ,"A Pirate Of Exquisite Mind" sounds very interesting. I'll be keeping an eye out for that one. Thanks for the tip, Meigger. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":onya" border="0" alt="me.gif" />
 
Michner's <i><b>Caribbean</b></i> is rather good, IMO. It's not really what you'd expect, but if you are a fan of Michner, you will like it. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":yes" border="0" alt="yes.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />
 
For anyone so inclined to learn how pirates actually went about their stock and trade, pick up <i>The Sea Rover's Practice</i> by Benerson Little. This book fills the long languishing literary void regarding how pirates actually operated, down to minute tactics and strategy. The author is a retired Navy SEAL and an analyst for the Naval Special Warfare Center Strategy and Tactice Group.

If you <i>really</i> want to consider yourself on the Account, mates... study this book.
 
*bump*

As I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere in the thread, the following book by Markus Rediker that I am reading is well worth looking at:

Rediker, M. (2004). Villains of all nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. London: Verso.
ISBN: 1-84467-008-2

In a similar manner to Cordingly's 'Under the Black Flag', Rediker (Professor of History at Pitsburgh University) focuses on exposing the romanticised myth of pirates seen in modern fictional and media representations, whilst examining concepts such as democracy and nationhood in relation to piracy, and proposing that the terror exercised by pirates was in competition and in reaction to state sponsored terror in the authorities' heavy handed and (and by our terms) barbaric attempts to maintain the social order (on land and at sea) stacked in their favour. There might be a certain Marxist overtone to the latter sentiments in casting pirates as the oppressed fighting against the wealthy and powerful, but it may to some extent explain why pirates have often been cast as folk-heroes.

Rediker has a nice website too: <a href="http://www.marcusrediker.com/" target="_blank">Marcus Rediker Online</a>
 
Well, there are two more books I have to add to my list. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />

Got thru the Dampier book and Michener's <b>Caribbean</b> and all I can say is that I now know more about logwood than I ever wanted to know. Apparently the buccaneers occupied themselves by harvesting logwood in the Campeche area, when they were not otherwise occupied by hunting cows and pigs and raiding Spanish ships and towns. Considering that logwood is located in mosquito – snake – and alligator filled swamps I can immediately see the appeal this endeavor had for them. It turns out that the sap in logwood was used to make ink, and it occurred to me that a number of pirate death sentences must have been printed with the very ink the buccaneers had risked their lives to obtain. ("That's what you call ironic.")
I'd be interested in hearing what anyone has to say about the Michener book, the only problem I had in it was a claim that Drake had been captured by the Spanish but escaped being sentenced to the galleys before he ever went to the Caribbean, but I've never run across that in any of the biographies that I've read about him.
Just finished <b>Jolly Roger, The Story of the Great Age of Piracy</b>, by Patrick Pringle, which was originally published in 1953. (I read slow...) Here's a bit of a sample from an apparently old and neglected website: <a href="http://www.blackbeardlives.com/day1/jolly.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.blackbeardlives.com/day1/jolly.shtml</a>
I enjoyed it very much and found myself convinced by the author's points of how pirates were in all likelihood no more brutal people than the times in which they lived, and that the reputation for cruelty that pirates have is the result of sensationalized accounts by Exquemelin and Johnson who may have been more interested in book sales than achieving historical accuracy.
 
Done finished Patrick O'Brian's book #20, Blue at de Mizzen last night! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/onya.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":onya" border="0" alt="onya.gif" /> So Fred Bob only be readin' dem books es through three times! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

PS: Gonna be a startin' "21" next! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheeky" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" />
 
POB's '21' 'twas a bittersweet read, 'cause as ye be readin' it, it be shapin' up into annudder great read an' den ye come tew an' abrupt endin' after only de 3rd chapter! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bookish.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="bookish.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=144447:date=Apr 3 2006, 11:41 PM:name=Fred Bob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Fred Bob @ Apr 3 2006, 11:41 PM) [snapback]144447[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
POB's '21' 'twas a bittersweet read, 'cause as ye be readin' it, it be shapin' up into annudder great read an' den ye come tew an' abrupt endin' after only de 3rd chapter! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bookish.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="bookish.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />
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Aye, that it was. I'm thinking that when I get through my current queue of books I'll be setting sail with "Lucky Jack" once again.

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
SirChristopherMings Posted Mar 2 2006, 09:55 AM

Well, there are two more books I have to add to my list.

Got thru the Dampier book and Michener's Caribbean and all I can say is that I now know more about logwood than I ever wanted to know. Apparently the buccaneers occupied themselves by harvesting logwood in the Campeche area, when they were not otherwise occupied by hunting cows and pigs and raiding Spanish ships and towns. Considering that logwood is located in mosquito – snake – and alligator filled swamps I can immediately see the appeal this endeavor had for them. It turns out that the sap in logwood was used to make ink, and it occurred to me that a number of pirate death sentences must have been printed with the very ink the buccaneers had risked their lives to obtain. ("That's what you call ironic.")
I'd be interested in hearing what anyone has to say about the Michener book, the only problem I had in it was a claim that Drake had been captured by the Spanish but escaped being sentenced to the galleys before he ever went to the Caribbean, but I've never run across that in any of the biographies that I've read about him.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I stalled on Ch. 2 of Michener's Caribbean. Got distracted by other books at the time but i'm sure I'll get back to it eventually.

I'm currently reading the Dampier book and, yep, that's where I am at this very moment...deep in the jungles and swamps along the coast of the Bay of Campechy harvesting logwood. Really enjoying this book so far.
 
<!--quoteo(post=144447:date=Apr 3 2006, 06:41 AM:name=Fred Bob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Fred Bob @ Apr 3 2006, 06:41 AM) [snapback]144447[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
POB's '21' 'twas a bittersweet read, 'cause as ye be readin' it, it be shapin' up into annudder great read an' den ye come tew an' abrupt endin' after only de 3rd chapter! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bookish.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="bookish.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Fred Bob, maybe they should change the title of that book to <u>The Dogwatch</u>, because it's been "curtailed". <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />
 
Groan! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":facepalm" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />
 
Hey All!

I've just picked thru this thread and am surprised no-one has mentioned the ultimate book on matters of Piracy. I have read it, and must say it should be at the very TOP of all of your lists. A true "must read" if you want to learn of the real events of the day. <b><u>This book was originally published in 1724!!!!</u></b> It gives a "present-day" account of the most notorious pirates of the day, and how their exploits affected the world around them. Incredible book, an absolute must-read book for all. Oh - what's it called you ask?

<b><i><!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->A General History of the Robberies & Murders of the Most Notorious PIRATES</i>, by Captain Charles Johnson<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->

</b><!--fonto:Arial--><span style="font-family:Arial"><!--/fonto-->The book is sometimes credited to Daniel Defoe, as the mysterious Captain Charles Johnson was never officially introduced to the public (likely a pen name for someone, although the debate continues as to who it really was).

Here's a link to the exact copy of the book I have:

<a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?z=y&pwb=1&ean=9781585745586" target="_blank">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearc...n=9781585745586</a>

It's simply the best book on the topic I have read yet, by a nautical mile.

Cheers,
H.M.M.

<!--coloro:#000099--><span style="color:#000099"><!--/coloro-->FROM THE PUBLISHER
Originally published in 1724, this famous account of the lives and exploits of the most notorious pirates of the day was an immediate success. Written by the mysterious Captain Johnson (who was for some years thought to be Robinson Crusoe author Daniel Defoe), it appeared in the book world at a time now described as "The Golden Age of Piracy." With his dramatic writing style, which vividly captures the realities of their savage existence, the author documents specific events, including trials, of a number of the most feared pirates. Highly detailed, these accounts ensure the pirates were accurately depicted in all their gruesome glory. Indeed, the work has become the main source for scholars hoping to learn more about the female pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny (both of whom escaped execution by being pregnant), and was largely responsible for the posthumous fame of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. From Long John Silver to Captain Hook, pirates have been figures of horror and fascination for centuries. That these literary creations grew from factual evidence, much of it from this book, only serves to fire the imagination and keep their stories alive. In the ensuing 270 years since its first publication, A General History of the Pirates has come to be generally regarded as the classic study of one of the most popular subjects in maritime history.<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

<!--fontc--></span><!--/fontc-->
 
Time to blow some dust off of this old thread...

In the annals of possibly too much information, I must admit that my favorite room to read in has a lot of porcelain fixtures within it. On occasion, I can spend so much time in there that Lady Mings is prompted to bang on the door and inquire as to whether or not I have "fallen in."

I'm spending a good deal of time there of late, looking at a new book I have acquired, <u><b>The History of Pirates</b></u> , by Angus Konstam, probably because it has a lot of pictures. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bookish.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="bookish.gif" />

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558219692/002-7393805-4643222?v=glance&n=283155" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155821969...ce&n=283155</a>

From what I've read so far I feel that it provides a really nice summary, tends to avoid rehashing the legends or stories around the various pirates, and appears to try to focus on the "facts". (Some of which I tend stop and ponder as to whether or not these facts jibe with information that I have read elsewhere.) Beyond that, it is one of the few books on piracy that devotes some attention to Sir Christopher Myngs, (he gets two pages!) so bear in mind that I may have no perspective as my objectivity might be questionable. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />
 
Ahoy, Winter Is Coming! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />

Have you read back thru the old posts on this thread? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bookish.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="bookish.gif" /> You'll probably find a lot of titles mentioned that you might like there. I think that most here would recommend the "Master and Commander" Series as far as fiction goes, but Meigger has recommended a number of non-fiction titles that I have enjoyed a whole lot! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbs1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":2up" border="0" alt="thumbs1.gif" />
 
Just finished <u><b>1491</b></u> by Charles C. Mann, and thought it might be one that you cutthroats might enjoy.

This book discusses the various conjectures being circulated by archeologists regarding the state of the American continents prior to its "discovery" by European civilization.

Reading through the book I found that I was surprised to learn just how much we don't know about what life was like in North and South America prior to "The Age of Exploration", and how much is being learned and discovered today.

Charles C. Mann tells a good story even when the text gets a bit burdened with archeological detail, he also relates a story about how a group of archeologists got into a fist fight after a few beers over the controversy surrounding Clovis and Pre-Clovis theories.

Here's a link to a bit of a sample: <a href="http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Chumash/Population.html" target="_blank">http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Chumash/Population.html</a>

but if you find a copy, you might just want to pick it up. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bookish.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="bookish.gif" />
 
Very innerestin' link ye shared thar, Mings! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/poet.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hmm" border="0" alt="poet.gif" />
 
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