Pirates: Predators of the Sea: An Illustrated History - Hardcover

Konstam, Angus

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1602390355 ISBN 13: 9781602390355

Publisher: Skyhorse, 2007

Synopsis

Pirates have captivated our imaginations for generations, and the popularity of the recent Pirates of the Caribbean films has planted them even more firmly in our minds. But what were pirates really like? Author Robert Ritchie guides us on a tour of piracy from ancient times through the present, and dispels the false image of pirates created by adventure stories and Hollywood. The truth is, unbelievably, even more intriguing than the fiction. Pirates were usually men (and sometimes women!) who turned to piracy in desperation—to avoid starvation or to save their own lives. They were from countries across the globe, from every social class, and of every race. Their average age was only twenty seven. In this lavishly illustrated book, you will see pirates’ brutal lives and bloody deaths, get a peek at their ships and the lives of their crews, and meet some of history’s most famous and infamous buccaneers. You’ll finally learn the truth about the way they lived and died. Full of color and history and danger, this book is as fun as a Johnny Depp movie—but it’s all true! 

About this title

About the Author:

is the author of more than a dozen books, including

and

. He was Chief Curator at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. Konstam lives in Scotland.

is an editor, filmmaker, and journalist. He edited

s and

From Booklist:

Ignited by Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, interest in pirates is burgeoning, as Konstam and Kean note in the preface to this colorful reality check about piracy through the ages. Captain Jack owes many of his mannerisms to Rolling Stone Keith Richards, and though no real pirate limned here possesses Richards', or Depp's, star power, many exhibited real charisma, and that, Konstam and Kean show, has kept them alive in historical memory. Pirates having flourished elsewhere than in the Caribbean, the book offers round-the-world coverage but acknowledges that the sea thieves reached their acme with the likes of Hawkins, Blackbeard, and Kidd in . . . the Caribbean! Konstam and Kean also relate what little is known for sure of the famous female pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny. With colorful maps and illustrations aplenty, the book constitutes a wonderful starting point for acquainting oneself with the freebooters and buccaneers who were alternately heroes (privateers) and villains (pirates), even in their own day. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1602390355
• ISBN 13: 9781602390355
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240