The Pirates Own Book: Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers

by Marine Research Society

In these delightfully melodramatic accounts, originally published in an extremely rare 1837 volume, you'll find true stories of the diabolical desperadoes who plundered ships on the high seas and murdered their passengers and crews. The stories — based on contemporary newspaper accounts, trial proceedings, and Admiralty records — describe in lurid detail the life, atrocities, and bloody death of the infamous Black Beard as well as the cold-blooded exploits of Jean Lafitte, Robert Kidd, Edward Low, Thomas White, Anne Bonney, Mary Read, and scores of other maritime marauders.The first edition of The Pirates Own Book was published in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1837, and during the next 25 years it was followed by at least eight other editions. Today it is a rarity among collectors. Now available once again in this inexpensive edition, it will thrill lovers of drama on the high seas or any reader interested in the true-life adventures of the ruthless men and women who sailed under the black flag so long ago.

Genres: History

498 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 8, 2012

Reviews

[Joe Santoro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was definitely a 'it's not you, its me' kind of problem with the book. I think if I was in a different mind set, and read it in bits, I'd have really got into it.

What I was looking for was a history of piracy, though, and what this is is a collection of the stories told in taverns and around coastal towns about the legendary pirates of the high age of the sea.... fact checked, perhaps, based on trials and such that occurred, but very legend-y in delivery.

There's actually alot of listing lawyers and judges and who say what at which trial, rather than Naval combat and such... again, somehwhat interesting, but not what I was looking for.

[Mike Wigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

So pirates never made anyone “walk the plank.” They we’re still in general a bad lot.

[Josh Yaks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 8.5/10
It's fascinating to read contemporary accounts about 17th/18th Century pirates, but it's also difficult reading because the things those people did were truly horrendous!