Product Description

Thirteen of the most intriguing buccaneers in the history of piracy, all connected somehow to the Carolinas. New edition has an all-new chapter on Blackbeard, as well as updated information on some of the other pirates, and new sections such as: The Truth About Piracy, How To Talk Like a Pirate, a list of pirate movies, a pirate quiz, and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #520786 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From the Author
A portion of all book sales will be donated to the excavation and preservation of Blackbeard's flagship, Queen Anne's Revenge, which was recently discovered. Read all about the amazing discovery and Blackbeard, Our Favorite Pirate, in Chapter One.

About the Author
Award-winning writer/photographer Terrance Zepke lives in central North Carolina and a small beach community in South Carolina. She has a master?s degree from the University of South Carolina. Ms. Zepke has lived and traveled all over the world, but she always comes back to the Carolinas and "...will always proudly call them home."

Excerpted from Pirates of the Carolinas by Terrance Zepke. Copyright © 2000. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
ANNE BONNY (Chapter Two) Wild, Reckless, and Gallant Pirate Anne Bonny, the most famous and fascinating female pirate, was never able to deny her passions. She did whatever she pleased and took whatever she wanted...And Anne needed a great deal of attention. Anne was high-spirited, to say the least. She also delighted in dressing and acting like a boy. The rebellious teen was good at shooting, hunting, riding, and even cursing! Despite her minimum efforts with her appearance, this tomboy was stunningly attractive. Anne had the porcelain skin of the Irish, as well as a beautiful head of thick, red curly hair she refused to tie up, so it draped her face and shoulders like a lion's mane. A story in The Pirate's Own Book, 1837, reports that Anne once attacked a young man who tried to have his way with her. She assaulted him so violently that he was bed ridden for weeks.

Although the girl had many eligible men trying to court her, she was not interested in settling down. By the time she was nineteen, William Cormac took matters into his own hands and arranged for his daughter to marry a prominent member of the community. For a young woman who didn't want to answer to anyone and longed for great adventure and excitement, this prospect must have seemed like a lifelong prison sentence. Unable to bear the thought of having to stay in Charleston betrothed to this stolid fellow her father had chosen for her, she eloped with a young sailor she's been seeing on the sly, James Bonny. The union was definitely more about freedom than true love. Anne saw the sailor as her way out of the restrictive social setting of Charleston, and as an opportunity to see the world on her own terms.

Unfortunately, Anne quickly became bored with her husband. As a matter of fact, she was pursuing other options when she was seen be pirate Jack Rackham in Nassau on New Providence. He was there in hopes of obtaining the king's pardon, but got distracted from his mission when he saw Anne Bonny. The instant he laid eyes on the wild redheaded woman, "Calico Jack" Rackham fell head over heels in love. His feelings were reciprocated by Anne. For the first time in her life, Anne Bonny discovered the real meaning of love.

Rackham tried to get Anne's husband to divorce her by offering him a large sum of money, but James Bonny refused the money and proclaimed he would never let his wife go. He even went so far as revealing Anne's infidelity to the governor. Under the governor's threat of official recrimination for their adulterous actions, Anne and Calico Jack stole a ship, assembled a crew, and set sail, not telling anyone their destination.

Anne probably found further excitement in the charade of having to conceal her identity by dressing as a man, since women weren't allowed to crew or even be aboard pirate ships. More importantly, it would have diminished Rackham's authority if he had blatantly brought a woman on as part of the crew. It probably wasn't as difficult as one might think to pull off this sham-the clothes were loose fitting, and boys were employed as powder monkeys. Without make-up and with her hair put up under a hat, Anne could have passed f or one of these lads, without close scrutiny.

The pair continued the deception for months. During this time, they managed to successfully assault and raid some small merchant ships. However, in 1720 something happened that nearly ended their relationship. Rackham overtook a Dutch merchant ship, captured the crew, and forced them into servitude. Anne Bonny began spending a great deal of time with one of the new pirates. Calico Jack often spotted them huddled together, whispering.

Jealously besieged Rackham. In a rage, he confronted Anne and the English pirate, promising to kill both for their indiscretions. Anne was forced to tell Calico Jack the truth. She divulged that the man he thought she was carrying on with was nothing more than a friend, a very good friend. Anne then formally introduced her new best friend. "Jack, I'd like you to meet Miss Mary Read!"

Shortly after this, the women abandoned their disguises, but not the manly clothing. Having proven themselves to be more adept than most male pirates, their revelation was well received. But, just as they were accepted as female buccaneers, Anne found out she was pregnant and had to be taken to Cuba to have the baby. If Calico Jack hinted that Anne could stay in Cuba to raise the child, Anne must have quickly told him otherwise, for she was back on board within a few weeks...All that was important to Anne was the freedom of being a pirate because it was a great outlet for her untamed spirit. It was one of her happiest days when she was once again part of Captain Jack Rackham's pirate crew. Little did she or any of them know that the high times they had shared were behind them...

Customer Reviews

Pirates of the Carolinas
Terrance Zepke has a lively writing style and the visual layout of the book is outstanding. Unfortunately, this does not carry over to the information presented in the book which in places is totally incorrect. Mr. Zepke's research leaves a lot to be desired. The book is written more for entertainment rather than factal accuracy and should be viewed as such by any potential reader. Good starting point for a person casually interested in reading about the Carolina Pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy but the information presented should not be taken at face value.

Easily understandable to the lay reader
In Pirates Of The Carolinas, author/photographer Terrance Zepke evaluates thirteen buccaneers, male and female, all of whom share a connection to the Carolinas. From the universally feared Blackbeard to infamous Anne Bonny, who ran to avoid marrying a rich man her father chose for her husband, the adventurous and deadly histories of these watery thieves is vividly recreated as best known from the evidence - conjecture and surmise help flesh out the rest, for there are some pirate mysteries known only to the depths of the ocean. Easily understandable to the lay reader, Pirates Of The Carolinas is written with flair, confidently informative, and highly entertaining.

The stuff of legends and Hollywood movies!
In Pirates Of The Carolinas, writer/photographer Terrance Zepke presents the reader with thirteen of the most fascinating buccaneers in the history of piracy, each of whom was connected to the Carolinas. Here are to be found insights into the personalities and lives of these sea marauders, and informative answers into what their daily lives were like. From Blackbeard and Captain Kidd to Anne Bonny and Mary Reed, this cast of characters are as memorable as they were colorful, and as dangerous as they were ardently sought after by the authorities and eventual brought to grim justice. Pirates Of The Carolinas is terrific reading, the true-life stuff of which legends and Hollywood movies are made!