Pirate Hunter of the Caribbean: The Adventurous Life of Captain Woodes Rogers

by David Cordingly

From David Cordingly, one of the world’s foremost experts on pirate history, and author of the perennial favorite Under the Black Flag , comes the thrilling story of the man who fought the real pirates of the Caribbean. Sea captain, privateer, and colonial governor, Woodes Rogers was one of the early eighteenth century’s boldest and most colorful characters. Pirate Hunter of the Caribbean is the definitive account of his incredible life.

At a time when Europe’s maritime nations fought over islands and territories, and pirates and other scoundrels were flourishing, Rogers sailed into the center of the action. In 1708, in the midst of Britain’s war with Spain, Rogers was hired to lead a mission against Spanish targets in the Pacific. A fearless adventurer who lost his fortune as often as his temper, he battled scurvy and hurricanes and mutinies—and along the way captured a treasure galleon and rescued the shipwrecked Alexander Selkirk, whose four-year ordeal on a remote Pacific island inspired Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe .

When the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 led to an explosion of piracy in the Caribbean, King George I appointed Rogers governor of the Bahamas. There he found himself in charge of a string of islands being plundered by raucous felons, from the notorious “Blackbeard,” who kept lit matches under his hat to give himself a hellish cast, to Charles Vane, a particularly brutal pirate captain, to Anne Bonny and Mary Read, rare female pirates who escaped the hangman’s noose only by revealing their pregnancies.

With rich and vivid details and plenty of action, David Cordingly chronicles a rollicking adventure that is as fascinating and gripping as any seafaring legend.

Genres: History, Pirates, Nonfiction, Biography, Historical, Adventure, Ebooks

301 pages, Hardcover

First published May 17, 2011

About the author

David Cordingly is an English naval historian with a special interest in pirates. He held the position of Keeper of Pictures and Head of Exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England for twelve years.
David Cordingly organised several exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum, including Captain James Cook, Navigator and The Mutiny on the Bounty. One of these exhibitions was Pirates: Fact and Fiction, which became a critical and popular success, followed by a book of the same title, authored by Cordingly and John Falconer. Cordingly explored the subject further in his book Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates. This was followed by Heroines and Harlots: Women at Sea in the Great Age of Sail (published in the U.S. under the title Women Sailors and Sailors' Women: An Untold Maritime History), expanding on a subject Cordingly had touched upon in Under the Black Flag in a chapter entitled "Women Pirates and Pirates' Women".
In 2002, Cordingly wrote an introduction to the republication of Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates.
The Billy Ruffian: His Majesty's Ship Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon, published in 2003, was longlisted for the 2003 Wolfson History Prize. It tells the story of an English warship, HMS Bellerophon, which played an important part in many battles and held captive the defeated Napoleon following the Battle of Waterloo.
Cordingly appears on the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl DVD bonus features in a section called "Below Deck", a virtual tour of a pirate ship. This consists of several documentary shorts, hosted by Cordingly, comparing piracy fact and fiction along the same lines as Under the Black Flag.
Cordingly resides with his wife and family in Brighton, Sussex.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this book 4 stars despite the fact the title is a little misleading and I already knew a lot of the info from previous pirate related books I have read. This book, like many other pirate books I've read, tends to spend a lot of time on general pirate history. Though the book does cover Captain Woodes Rogers quite a bit, it does stray off the subject(the life of Woodes Rogers)a lot as well. But, if you are a person that has not read many pirate books and decided to read this, I think you would find it very interesting. I thought it was a good read. For myself I would give it 3 stars, but only because I already knew a lot of the info. For someone less knowledgable on pirate history, it's a 4 star book in my opinion.

[Ian Dowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

As you can see from my rating, I loved this book and I think you will too, especially if you like pirates, history, or both. The only other book I've read from Cordingly is "Under The Black Flag" and I loved that book as well. This book is similar in ways, some facts in "Under The Black Flag" are present in this novel, but this book focuses mainly on the life of Captain Woodes Rogers instead of a general history of the golden age of piracy.
This novel was originally published in 2011 and was written by pirate historian David Cordingly and focuses on the life of the famed pirate hunter Captain Woodes Rogers.
Rogers was once a privateer himself, but during Britain's war with Spain, he was recruited by the crown to chase and arrest pirates who were at large on the high seas. Throughout his life, he has accomplished many things such as surviving many battles, storms, captured a treasure ship and even rescued the castaway who inspired the famous book "Robin Crusoe." This book is mainly based in the southern part of the world, such as the Bahamas and Madagascar, as those areas were goldmines for pirates.
If you're thinking about this novel for a younger child, I would be a little wary of some parts of the book. There are some descriptions of torture methods as well as numerous hangings of pirates. There are also if I remember correctly, a few swear words but nothing too extreme. More mature content includes descriptions of gunfights, sword fights, and limbs getting shot off with cannons.
All in all, this novel is great, especially if you're into pirates or history. I think that this book would be a good read for anyone over 13 but I suppose it just depends on what the kid reading it is like. I know that I would have definitely found this book boring if I had read it when I was younger than 14.

[Stefano · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Cordingly leads the reader through lots of intertwined stories, and really does in the end make you feel familiar with the places and situations of 18th Century, giving a taste of what it must have felt like to sail the Caribbean See and the Oceans, with the constant risk of a pirate attack, contracting scurvy, or mutinies.
Many wonderful (and thoroughly historically documented) adventures are described, that rival with the most thrilling pirate novels.
The only downside is that the main character himself, capt. Rogers, despite the efforts of Cordingly to make the reader sympathize with him, is actually not very well know from a historical point of view and sometimes results a bit underwhelming.
His personality is not very much known and his actions after the adventurous voyage around the world that gave him celebrity are not that interesting either, dealing mostly with administration in Nassau.
The best aspect of the book is the constant going off interesting tangets, describing lives deeds and deaths of important pirates (Blackbeard, Calico Jack and so on), the political vicissitudes of the European powers and how they affected life in the New World, the reasons behind the Golden Age of piracy and the corsair attacks at the beginning of the 1700's and so on.
As a curiosity, the book talks extensively about Alexander Selkirk, the castaway on Isla Juan Fernandez who most probably inspired (to a debated extent) the figure of Robinson Crusoe.
A suggested read for those who are interested in reading about adventures on the sea, but also want to get a picture of the historical context.

[Djrmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a too obvious attempt to trade on the popularity of the Disney movies (Cordingly was a historical advisor on the first one) and that's too bad because the book stands on its own merits as a lively piece of non-fiction. Woodes Roger's life doesn't quite fill out a book, but add in historical figures who's life he's only one degree removed from, and you've got a good story. The book gets rolling with William Dampier who has a connection to the man that might have been the real Robinson Crusoe before he went on to be Rogers' navigator on a circumnavigation in 1708-1711, on to the actual rescue of that man, then on to Rogers' terms as the first and third Royal Governor of the Bahamas, when the pirate hunting actually comes into the story by Rogers' contracts with former pirates to bring those that didn't take "the pardon". This isn't so much a biography of Rogers as a story of a period of history that he was at near center of much of the time. Well a well researched book with decent references and foot notes for the reader who wants a story with their facts.

[Alexandra Lowrance · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Cordingly, a very renowned pirate historian, is the author of Pirate Hunter of the Caribbean. Cordingly gives you every last detail he can muster up to create this realistic non-fiction biography of the adventures of Captain Woodes Rogers. Cordingly tells the reader everything from how many tons a ship is, the weapons it holds, and who was injured or died.  He also covers every problem that occurs on the ships commanded by the main characters including scurvy, mutinies, and even the ones who decide to leave and end up stranded on an island for four years and four months (this man ends up being my favorite of all the characters encountered while reading this book).

Rogers’ first voyage, provoked by the Spanish Succession, was sponsored and commissioned by wealthy citizens. The money bought him two ships the Duke and the Dutchess. These two ships are the ones referred to throughout most of the book. After eleven or so days at sea Roger’s faced his first mutiny. The instigator ended up being put ashore and left to his own devices. All matters decided on the ships were put to a vote. I have to admit I never knew this. I always thought the Captains of pirate ships did what they wanted and everyone else just went along with it.

Rogers lost people due to scurvy, the result of a lack of vitamin C, during the time right before finding Selkirk. Selkirk was left stranded on an island for four years and four months after he decided to leave a ship due to its physical integrity. The men recovered from their scurvy by eating more fruit and fresh foods. Even this long ago pirates and privateers seemed to have a grasp on what was causing and what helped scurvy.  Rogers appointed Selkirk as second mate on the Duke. Selkirk later proved himself and commanded a ship they captured from Guayaquil. Selkirk also later married two women who fight over his wages, land, and possessions.

While trying to capture one of the manila galleons Rogers sustained a very brutal injury to his face. He was shot through the cheek with a bullet that blasted off part of his jaw and some of his teeth. Later, he also was hit by a wood splinter that exposed his heel bone. Six months later when he landed in Batavia a doctor treated the wounds and actually cut out a large musket shot from his mouth. Rogers reported not being able to eat anything solid for the swelling caused from the injury during that six month period. Imagine all that pain! If anything out of this entire book made me respect pirates and privateers it had to be that. After arriving home and having a fall out with the East India Company that involved paying them off, the crew set out again.

Pirates were a huge problem in the Caribbean and the King appointed Woodes Rogers the Governor of the Bahama Islands to drive off the pirates. Blackbeard, introduced in the book at this point, terrorized the Caribbean. He left before Rogers ever arrived. Instead, Rogers’ main focus was Charles Vane in Nassau and eventually Calico Jack. In the end both were hanged in Jamaica. Rogers then returned to England and George Phenney replaced him in the position as governor of the Bahamas.

Once Roger’s arrived home there is speculation that he was imprisoned for debt after declaring bankruptcy for the second time. After getting out of prison the new governor was having the same problems with the locals as Rogers had before him and the king then appointed Rogers to the task once again. Luckily, soon after he took over the Bahamas for the second time there was a huge decline in pirates in the Caribbean due to the execution and deaths of their crew and leaders. The executions done by Rogers marked the end of Nassau being the headquarters for pirates and they were no longer a threat to the traders of the region. After all the adventures with pirates, the threat of scurvy, the tremendous injuries he sustained, prison, and governing the Bahamas no one knows just how he died. No one knows if his family were present. His name was never mentioned in the London papers either.

Pirate Hunter of the Caribbean was supposed to be about the life and adventures of Woodes Rogers. I don’t think Cordingly accomplished that. I did not find the book hard to read but hard to follow at times. It wasn’t just about Rogers or even just about the people that he encountered along the way. The book seemed to go off on tangents at times that left me reeling about things that, to me, did not seem to pertain in any way to Rogers’ life. For example, while mentioning Selkirk, Cordingly goes on about Dampier even stating himself that it isn’t relevant. If anything this book seemed to be a historical account on pirates as a whole than the life of Woodes Rogers.

That being said, the amount of material and sources he used and how he put them together was a gigantic feat in itself. Every ship he named he told you how many guns it had and how many tons it was, who was on it, how many were injured, and sometimes where the majority of the crew was from. The accounts of the battles were superb. He could tell you how it all happened, if I am right in assuming that was all from sources and not speculation. To organize all of that and make it understandable to the reader was amazing and made it an interesting piece of work to read. No wonder he is so renowned and was a historical consultant on the Disney movie Pirates of the Caribbean.

Cordingly’s use of primary sources was engaging. The sheer amount of journals and books written by the pirates themselves included in tidbits throughout Cordingly’s book made it well worthwhile. To be able to know what Woodes Rogers thought at the time and what he said put this book onto a whole new level. Cordingly’s ability to weave together history as well as he did around a specific character in time was definitely worth the time and effort spent reading this book.

I have to admit I went into reading this book with the expectations Disney has set for me. The whole “Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum”, “Let’s go find some buried treasure!” mindset I had was very swiftly proven wrong. At first I was slightly disappointed until I realized how hard the privateering life was for what you got out of it. All of these people wove together to make this historical account were just that people. Yeah sure, some inspired legendary stories that may or may not have been blown out of proportion by Hollywood. But those legends were left behind by average men and women who did great things, and some not so good things, but in a sense no less great.  Cordingly successfully pieced together history to portray the life, wit, and bravery of a lesser known privateer who would otherwise never be remembered by the general population. It was a refreshing perspective on the usually glamorized life of a pirate.

[John Newcomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woodes Rogers, as a young man, was a privateer who captured a Spanish Treasure ship and rescued Alexander Selkirk from his Robinson Crusoe like existence. In later life he was appointed the Governor of the Bahamas and became the bain of the Pirates of the Carribean in his battle to make his coloney safe from looting and piracy. Only one early Hogarth portrait of him exists, but it is nice to read a history where the pirates are not romantically glorified.

[Will Staunton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read almost nothing about the so-called "Golden Age" of piracy, and this book gave a fascinating and well-documented overview of the era. Ostensibly a biography of Woodes Rogers, a rather tragic figure tasked, in 1717, with defending and building the British colony in the pirate hotbed of the Bahamas, it casts a much wider net.
Cordingly writes like a researcher, and the book is heavy on facts, figures and dates. While it means the pacing bogs down in places, that same attention to detail can bring to vivid life individual sea battles, town raids, and arguments. Where documentation exists, Cordingly has found it.
The world was a bigger place in the 1700s, and despite the fact that the Spanish, English and French are colonizing like crazy, these are the stories of men (and occasionally women) who decide to throw off the yoke of government and society and seize control of their own fate. That being said, most of them are pretty awful people, inured to hardship and violence from their miserable sailor lives, but they're easy figures to romanticize. There are not many happy endings to pirating careers, but they are vigorously alive while they last.
Cordingly relies heavily on Captain Charles Johnson's "A General History of the Pyrates", first published in 1724, when these pirates were in the headlines. (Johnson is generally assumed to be a pen name for Daniel Defoe.) I was thrilled to discover that very book on my wife's bookshelf, so I'm looking that direction next.
On a purely linguistic note, I love how alive the English language feels in Cordingly's primary sources. The wild variations of spelling and punctuation from that time remind me that our so-called rules are nothing more than the societal consensus of an era that is already disappearing. I used to bemoan what I perceived as the degradation of the written word in the age of the internet. But language will evolve whether I endorse it or not, and as long as meaning is communicated, I think I can feel at piece.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

No surprise that I picked up Pirate Hunter after watching The Pirates of Caribbean franchise in full for the first time. However, I’m not sure what the true aim of this book was. Based on the title, one would assume Woodes Rogers — the sea captain, privateer, slave trader, and twice Governor of the Bahamas — would be the main focus, but really he was just a character in a very large cast. Chapters would end with little to no mention of him, allowing for some enjoyable exploration into the lives of British privateers and the most iconic pirates, examples of the latter being Edward Teach (Blackbeard), Mary Read, Anne Bonney, Charles Vane, Stede Bonnet, and Bartholomew Roberts. No surprise that I picked up Pirate Hunter after watching The Pirates of Caribbean franchise in full for the first time. However, I’m not sure what the true aim of this book was. Based on the title, one would assume Woodes Rogers — the sea captain, privateer, slave trader, and twice Governor of the Bahamas — would be the main focus, but really he was just a character in a very large cast. Chapters would end with little to no mention of him, allowing for some enjoyable exploration into the lives of British privateers and the most iconic pirates, examples of the latter being Edward Teach (Blackbeard), Mary Read, Anne Bonney, Charles Vane, Stede Bonnet, and Bartholomew Roberts. Additionally, I appreciated being introduced to Alexander Selkirk, the real-life castaway often thought to have inspired Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.

Well, even though the book was a bit all over the place, I still learned a lot but would suggest a different title, something along the lines of Privateering to Piracy: A Golden Age of the Caribbean.

Well, even though the book was a bit all over the place, I still learned a lot but would suggest a different title, something along the lines of Privateering to Piracy: A Golden Age of the Caribbean.

[Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a bit exaggerated, but I suspect that was done at the publisher's behest and not Mr. Cordingly's.
This book is about Woodes Rogers, who had quite an interesting life. If you've read anything about pirates, you probably already know who Rogers is, but this book does a good job covering his career before he was named governor of the Bahamas.

What I didn't like about this book was the second half--at least I didn't enjoy it was much as the first. The first half almost reads like a novel as you follow these brave men on this dangerous voyage against the Spanish in the South Sea. Cordinly does an excellent job of exploring this little-known period of history. He then details how Nassau became a pirate haven.
However, the book really seemed to drift once Rogers arrives in Nassau. Several chapters are dedicated to people who had little or no interaction with Woodes Rogers (Blackbeard, Bart Roberts, etc). There's even considerable attention given to Alexander Selkirk, whom Rogers rescued during his voyage and was the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe. While interesting, it seemed more like a way to fill out a book that was relatively lacking in a story for Rogers.

That is the problem, I think. His work in eradicating piracy in the Bahamas was actually not all that sensational. The vast majority of pirates accepted the pardon and stayed honest. A few defied the pardon, a few returned to piracy, but the struggle really wasn't as grand as the title might suggest.
Then, Rogers returned to London, did a stint in debtor's prison, and returned to the governor, but his second stint is also a bit ho-hum.

I still recommend this book, if only for the more detailed look at Rogers' career prior to being the Governor. Just know that if you read "Under the Black Flag" then you've pretty much already read the second half of this book.

[Adam Greven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here an attempt is made to cover the sailing career of Captain Woodes Rogers, a man who's appearance is as much a mystery as most of his personal life was. David Cordingly, author of Under the Black Flag, gives the reader A LOT of surrounding history in his attempt to inform you of Rogers' life. In fact I would say half of the book spends more time talking about other people and their actions, in detail, instead of talking about Rogers himself. That isn't to say this information isn't interesting, although repetitive at times, but is far from what I expected when I picked this book up.
Those who are looking for a glimpse into the personal life of Woodes Rogers you will be underwhelmed. Highlighted are his accomplishment of circumnavigating the world (which takes up the first half of the book), his short lived career in the african slave trade, and his hard fought and often unsupported political battle to rid the Caribbean of its pirates.
I did not find this book as interesting as Cordingly's other work, Under the Black Flag, but it has lead me to create a, now rather lengthy, list of events I feel I need to read about.
Despite the heavy research behind it, Pirate Hunter of the Caribbean proves Captain Woodes Rogers will remain as much of a mystery to the world as many of the pirates he hunted.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title led me to believe that I'd be reading something more or less biographical about Woodes Rogers. While some of of the book feels this way, there are numerous rabbit trails, some very detailed. Some of these sections provide interesting historical context, while others are unnecessary. But overall, this book provides an interesting perspective into the Golden Age of Piracy and its unraveling with the life of Woodes Rogers as an entry point.

This book covers the same time period and historical figures as Colin Woodard's The Republic of Pirates ; Cordingly's work has less information about the pirates' lives, but his writing is livelier and his claims more reasonable.

[Shaun "AceFireFox" · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've previously made my stance on Woodes Rogers very clear and that is that I am a massive fan of him and his life. He fascinates me and interests me as much as Benjamin Hornigold does.

This doesn't focus on solely Woodes Rogers and gives other coverage to people such as Alexander Selkirk, the end of Blackbeard and how many of the other big captains and pirates at the time met their ends.

I'd say it's a pretty good jump in point when it comes to not only looking into Woodes Rogers but events at the time. Woodes Rogers is the main focus so don't expect too much in the sense of other people around the time.

[Miguel Mariano · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are moments where I felt excited, flying thru the pages to learn more about marooned pirates and clever captains. But between those moments, I would hit speed bumps of lengthy descriptions covering details that I didn’t find so important. I skipped the second to last chapter (which focused on someone else altogether) and skimmed the last chapter, stopping even before the epilogue. I enjoyed the parts during the golden age of piracy, but the second half was a bumpy ride to a dry finish.

[Dylan Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've read Cordingly before, you know what you're getting here: solid, readable stuff. My only gripe is with the filler chapters on Blackbeard, Vane and Rackham that get jammed in to keep the last third of the book moving. Surely a better decision would have been too zoom into other Rogers-like, pirate-hunting figures instead? Hornigold, or even Spotswood?

[Antón · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read for anyone that knows a bit of pirate history, though it probably won't tell you anything new besides a few small details regarding the Golden Age.
However, readers that know just a small part of this era will enjoy this book through and through. Easy to read, well written and not only focused on Woodes Rogers but also the world he lived in.

[Nick Penzenstadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up after getting obsessed with Black Sails on Starz. This is the real story of Woodes Rogers in Nassau and famous pirates like Hornigold, Vane, Blackbeard, Anne Bonny and Jack Rackham. Crazy to think the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean only lasted a few years but because infamous.

[Peter Kavanagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bit of a mess, jumps around all over the place. It's redeeming feature is lots of great stories about pirates and those tasked with catching and hanging them. The line between the to was extremely thin.

[Karl Larsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, and some very fascinating chapters. But a sizeable chunk of the book is not (despite the title) devoted to the 'life of Captain Woodes', being more of a treatise of piracy in the Caribbean and Pacific. Still, I'm glad I read it.

[Meg Caddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Cordingly is my favourite historian and simply the best pirateologist out there. I'm pretty sure I've read every single one of his books, and this one was a delight from start to finish.

[Karl · Rating 1 out of 5]

David. Did a very poor job. Staying on the topic.

[Penney Helms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written-good history encompassing history of England and American colonies in addition to biography.

[Joshua Broccoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hell yeah, pirates.

Fun pirate stuff, but also very detailed and puts piracy in its historical context of colonialism and empire and such.

[Dirtbag Diesel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel as if I don’t know enough about pirates to get into this book just yet. I may come back to it, I may not. We’ll see where the seas take me.

[Montecristo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cronaca un po' fredda dei principali avvenimenti e pirati che hanno infestato i mari dei Caraibi a inizio Settecento. Interessante però gli manca qualcosa a livello di coinvolgimento.

[Jamie Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Incredible amounts of detail and a panoramic view of what was happening during the time around Woodes Rogers life.

[Eddie Hodges · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain Woodes Rogers is the most famous man of the pirate era that you never heard of. At least, I'd never heard of him before reading this book. Despite the colorful cover though I really didn't find this book to be very exciting; interesting, yes, very much so, but not exciting. To begin with there was a bit too much technical jargon for my taste though I'm sure others who are interested in sailing would love it. I imagine this is a problem that most authors of non-fiction; or at least non-fiction such as this, find a difficult balance. How much technical detail to include for the academics as opposed to how much blood and thunder for those readers with visions of Jolly Rogers and peg legged pirates. Cordingly tends to lean toward the technical side, but managed to give us enough naval battles to keep it from being boring.

Second, there really weren't enough events in Captain Rogers life to fill and entire book so Cordingly included people whose lives Captain Rogers touched. Stories of a sailor named Silkirk who Roger rescued from years of being left on a tropical island and who later may have been the inspiration for Defoe's Robinson Caruso. Tales of Anne Bonny and Mary Read; the two most famous women pirates to ever live who regularly out pirated the male pirates. And what book on pirates would be complete without a mention, and Cordingly gives him much more than a mention, of Blackbeard.

In the end though; while I enjoyed the book I couldn't recommend it to anyone who either really liked pirate books or perhaps a student doing a school paper on piracy.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was on the dry side and contained far too many details such as how many guns and how many tons and how many men on each ship. It focused on the life of Cap Woodes Rogers who spent some of his early years as a privateer hunting down the Spanish treasure galleon, and was moderately successul.

His later years were spent as Governor of the Bahamas at a time pirates were running rampant, and his prompt execution and public displays of the bodies helped curb the pirate scourge of those days.

Couple of interesting things I learned - the stereotype of pirates that we have today seems mostly true based on the facts portrayed in the book, down to the prevalence of drunkeness and the way they dressed.

Buccaneers were pirates and privateers that roamed the coasts of the Americas in the late 1600's. The word is very specific to those times and places.

And finally - Defoe's Robinson Crusoe may have been based on a sailor who had been willfully abandoned on an island for 4 years, and was rescued by Rogers. Rogers eventually wrote a book and included the story of the rescue and how the sailor (Selkirk) managed to survive. The book was popular in London just prior to Robinson Crusoe.

[Cj · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very quick and informative read. My only quip, and this is minute in scale, but the book seemed to be more of a short history on the last decades of piracy, rather than a detailed account of Woodes Rogers. He was the focus, but the book often went into chapter long tangents of famous pirates and other nautical happenings around the world. This was very necessary for the telling of Rogers' story, but I felt his story was less than thorough.

This is not to say I did not enjoy it. I did, it was extremely fun and greatly detailed. It gave a great sense and understanding of piracy during this time, with accounts spanning across the globe. It allowed me for the first time to see why piracy existed, how factual these pirate legends actually were and what impacted their demise.

Read: if you are a novice, or interested in a broad and brief history of notorious pirates and their nemeses.

Don't read: if you are extremely familiar with pirate history, or are looking for a birth to death detailed history of Rogers.

[Linn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit confusing with David Cordingly's books that they seem to have a t least two different titles depending on where (when?) they were published. This one is also known as "Pirate Hunter of the Caribbean: The Adventurous Life of Captain Woodes Rogers".

I really, really liked Cordingly's previous book "life among the pirates" (or "Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates") so decided to give this one a go. In parts it's a biography of Woodes Rogers, the governor of the Bahamas, but in large parts it more about the general history of the time and place, and an introduction to some of the main players. This, for me, makes it a bit too messy.

Some parts of it is great, other parts are boring. I was between two and three stars, and I'm giving it three, because I know Cordingly is a good writer. I just feel he missed the mark a bit with this book.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vivid portrayal of the period of piracy that many people would be familiar with from popular films. The book is principally about Captain Woodes Rogers and his life and role in the Caribbean fight against the scourge of pirates in the early 1700s.

Captain Rogers came to fame after his capture of one of the Spanish treasure galleons and went on to become the Governer of the Bahamas. He was instrumental in rousting the pirates from the Caribbean, who were operating with impunity throughout the region and the American south eastern coastline.

Although the book is focused around Rogers, it covers a general history of the golden age of piracy and gives some brief biographies of the infamous pirates and their demise. (7/10)