Product Description

This book gives an accurate picture of the pirates who sailed in the waters of the Caribbean and off the American coastline during the 'golden age' of piracy between 1660 and 1730. It traces the origins of piratical activity in the 16th century and examines the Boucaneer (Buccaneer) culture in Jamaica and Hispaniola. It details what drove individuals to a life of piracy, how they dressed, their weaponry, the ships they used and the codes by which they operated. Whether viewed as villains or victims the Pirates were a major threat to shipping and commerce in the western Atlantic for more than 70 years. Elite 67, 69 and 74 are also available in a single volume special edition as ‘Pirates’.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #474245 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-30
• Released on: 1998-10-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

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 15 books, many of which are published by Osprey. His other maritime titles include New Vanguard 42: British Napoleonic Ship-of-the-Line, Elite 69: Buccaneers 1620-1700 and Elite 70: Elizabethan Sea Dogs 1560-1605. 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. He is now based in London, where he combines a freelance museum consultancy business with a career as a historian and writer.

Customer Reviews

AHOY!
This is a great book to anyone interested on this period and in piracy.Angus Konstam's text is both concise and accurate,while Angus McBride's illustrations are certainly some of the best I have ever seen.The book is mostly about British pirates which should be expected,since Osprey is from Great Britain,and British sailors were always inclined towards piratical activities.The sections on pirate warfare and pirate codes are particularly nice,and you get biographies on such pirates as Blackbeard and Captain Kidd as well.The only thing I miss is a color cut-away illustration of a pirate ship.Even though,I must say It's an A+ job from front to back cover.

Pirates
I got this book and read all of it today, and found it to be a fine and enjoyable to read introduction to Piracy, focusing on European and Colonial American piracy between 1660 and 1730. The author does point out in his introduction that pirates always have, and always will exist, simply in different forms with different tactics. The author also discusses the fine line between legal or semi-legal privateers, and then the truly criminal pirates, as well the as the roles of women and black sailors. The book discusses the following topics:
The Pirate Crew (composition, motivation and dress)
Pirate Warfare (tactics)
Pirate Dens
Pirate Plunder
Pirate Captains and Characters (brief descriptions of 9 piratical careers)
Pirate ships (inlcuding sloops, schooners, brigantines, and square-riggers)
Pirate Codes
Pirate Flags
Pirate Justice
Biblography, plate commentary, and index
The book also has 12 pages of full-color paintings by the incomparable Angus McBride, depicting the pirates themselves along with their weapons, victims, flags, and executioners.

The Golden Age of Piracy
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 pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy. There are quite a few pictures to compliment the text and the topics covered include their origins, dress, tactics, flags, ports and ships. Konstam gives us some brief biographies of a few of the famous names like Teach, Bonny, Reade, Rackam, Vane, Every, Bonnet, Kidd and the Dread Pirate Roberts.

An excellent overview suitable for adolescents and adults, for more detail on William Kidd I suggest Richard Zacks' The Pirate Hunter, for more of an overview of piracy through the ages I suggest Konstam's The History of Pirates.