Pirate: The Golden Age

Osprey Warrior #158

by Angus Konstam, Giuseppe Rava, David Rickman

This book describes the life of a pirate of the early 18th century - the heyday of the 'Golden Age of Piracy'. It charts the way these men (and a few women) were recruited, how they operated, what they looked like and what their prospects were. In the process the book attempts to strip away many of the myths associated with piracy, to reveal the harsh realities of life beyond the normal bounds of society. The book draws on decades of research into the subject, and pulls together information from a myriad of sources, including official reports, contemporary newspaper reports, trial proceedings and court testimony, last words on the scaffold, letters, diaries and period scandal sheets. Other sources include archaeological evidence, and relevant objects and artefacts from museum collections on both sides of the Atlantic. In other words the book will reflect the last word in pirate research, making it beneficial to both the serious pirate historian and the novice apprentice.

Genres: History, Pirates, Nonfiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Angus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.

Reviews

[John Tarttelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A colourful and evocative portrayal of the pirate legacy which is very unlike the Jack Sparrow version of history. Pirates usually worked by a code of laws called 'articles' which they agreed amongst themselves. And they democratically elected their leaders who were viewed as being only slightly 'better' than the rest of the crew. A pirate Captain would get only two shares of the spoils unlike the avaricious Captains of the British Navy during Nelson's day! Much of today's imagined pirates are the result of artwork by American author and illustrator Howard Pyle ( 1853-1911 ) and N.C. Wyeth. An enjoyable read.

[Cathleen Sarti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very anglo-centric, but useful overview for popular culture

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to receive this Pirate book as pirates are something that interest me, they have also become very popular over the years due to various films based on them.

Pirate: The Golden Age is a very well researched book, the illustrations and art work is excellent.

This is a reference book and it covers the history of pirates from 1713 to 1725, this is something that I have learnt since reading the book. I did not know that the main pirates were only around for this short period of time.

This is a taster book which covers the main pirates and it gives you the opportunity for further reading at the end of it. This is a good book to find out a lot more about pirates, from expeditions to their clothing.

I enjoyed this reference book hugely, the only point I would make is that it would have been nice to have included more maps of voyages.

I also feel that this is a good educational text, those who are studying this area in detail would benefit from reading this book.

I would like to thank Osprey for sending it to me.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly written. Dispells a number of myths about pirates. Would be a good resource for a role playing game.