Product Description

Pirate Black Bart Roberts roamed the Atlantic from age thirteen in 1695 until his death in an ambush by the Royal Navy off Cape Lopez on the Guinea coast in 1722. Those years, coinciding with the Golden Age of Piracy, are chronicled here in excerpts from first-hand accounts and court documents, with vintage illustrations and maps, and the superb historical analysis of Terry Breverton.

Though more famous pirates Blackbeard and Captain Kidd serve as the greater icons of piracy, during their lifetimes of activity they took only thirty vessels between them, compared to Black Bart’s more than four hundred. Today’s image of a pirate includes a drunken sway within the swashbuckling, and few would argue that many a crew and captain of the era were prodigious drunkards. Again, Black Bart Roberts breaks the mold. Not only was he a Christian who ordered his musicians to play hymns each Sunday, he was also famous among his seagoing contemporaries for his abstention from alcohol. Tall for the time, and dressed head to toe in red silk, Black Bart was a striking figure whom maritime history will not soon forget.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1066753 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 164 pages

Review
"An interesting introduction to a pirate often neglected by writers." -- --Pirates and Privateers

From the Publisher
Selection by the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association for their list of "Young Adult Top Forty or so Nonfiction Titles 2004"

About the Author
A native of Wales, Terry Breverton is proud of his Welsh ancestry and is actively trying to encourage a resurgence of interest in the Welsh heritage, particularly in younger audiences. Breverton’s quest to re-introduce his heritage to not only tourists, but a new generation of Welsh, has prompted him to write a variety of books on everything from important Welsh men and women in history to an encyclopedia on the Welsh from a Welsh point of view.

Mr. Breverton first became interested in pirates while visiting West Wales. There he found a plaque commemorating the birthplace of Black Bart Roberts, considered the most successful pirate of all time. The pirate became the subject of his book "Black Bart Roberts: The Greatest Pirate of Them All" and sparked his interest for writing on piracy and buccaneers.

In "Black Bart Roberts" Mr. Breverton presents the true story of a pirate unlike the normal drunken, womanizing, smooth talking swashbucklers seen in the movies. Black Bart Roberts was a teetotaling Christian who was introduced to life at sea at the age of thirteen, and by the age of forty was forced into piracy. Called the "Black Captain" for his dark looks, Black Bart successfully took over four hundred ships and almost brought transatlantic shipping to a standstill. "The Pirate Dictionary" delves into the nautical language and expressions developed by pirate crews. This book explains the meaning behind such colloquialisms as "hit the deck," which have been integrated into common-day language. "Admiral Henry Morgan: King of the Buccaneers" tells the story of this brilliant military tactician and strategist through his greatest conquests and battles.

Mr. Breverton resides in the Vale of Glamorgan and currently lectures at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff Business School in marketing and management. He studied at Manchester, Birmingham, and Lancaster, and had a career in business in consultancy and marketing in multinational companies before returning to the world of academia.

Recently Mr. Breverton was awarded a Helm Fellowship at the University of Indiana. He is the only Welsh author to have more than one book named Wales Book of the Month by the Welsh Books Council.

Customer Reviews

Don't waste your time or your money mateys!
First of all, the last reviewer pretty much just repeated the book description that's printed above, and the one on the book's back cover. Second of all, the book doesn't even get to Black Bart until page 64! Until then, it's about Captain Howell Davis, and several other captains. Why, I have no idea! I've always loved pirate movies, and pirate stories, so I thought it would be fun to get a few books, and read up on the old scallywags. Now I know we aren't supposed to like pirates. Afterall, they stole, killed, and raped among other things...all bad. But even knowing all this, most of us are very intrigued by them. Perhaps because they're dangerous and unpredictable, and they play by their own rules. Because pirates are so charasmatic and exciting, I didn't think it was possible for a pirate book to be boring, but this one is! I'm sure the author is a nice man, and I'm sure he tried hard, but this book is hard to follow, and completely lacking in excitement and good old fashioned story telling. This reads like a narrative time line, and a very confusing one at that. The first two chapters leading up to Black Bart are incredibly hard to get through, so by the time you finally do get to him, you're so confused and exhausted, that you really don't care anymore. I've read other pirate books, and it is possible to give facts, be descriptive, and also entertain at the same time. This book bored and frustrated me. I was ready to feel like I was in Black Bart's boots from beginning to end, for all the excitment and stories, but that never happened. I suggest you do yourself a favor and look up 'Black Bart' and see what other books are out there. But please, skip this one. It was so bad, I didn't even get through the whole thing.I'm sending my copy back for a refund/credit.

Black Bart Roberts: The Greatest Pirate of Them All
Black Bart Roberts: The Greatest Pirate of Them All is a great historical pirate book!! Black Bart was the most sucessful pirate of all time... not the most notorious, yet the most profitable pirate of all time. He acquirred more boats and booty than any other pirate in history! Another must for pirate buffs like myself!

'Must' reading for any interested in pirates
Everyone's heard of pirates Captain Kidd and Blackbeard - but history buffs may be amazed to learn these famous pirates only took about thirty ships between them, whereas Black Bart Roberts alone took more than four hundred ships in a brief period of time. Terry Breverton's Black Bart Roberts is 'must' reading for any interested in pirates and American nautical history: first-hand accounts, court documents, and maps accompany a fascinating bit of piratical history on the high seas.