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The Seafarers
The Pirates
This volume in The Seafarers series recounts the lives and deeds of Henry Every, Stede Bonnet, John Rackam, Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, and other pirates.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 8, 2009
Picked this book up at the library, by chance, because it was set out all special for "International Talk Like a Pirate Day". Who knew.
I thought the book was FASCINATING. It was long--like an encyclopedia of The Golden Age of Pirates. And keep in mind that I don't have any concept if a history book drags on, because I adore them. This book gives a brief history of piracy in general, then tells many of the stories of The Golden Age, along with facts and details that you never knew you never knew. Absolutely fantastic. I felt like I walked away understanding who these men (and women) were, why they existed, and where they came from.
After reading this book, I wanted to walk around saying, "Hey! Guess what you don't know about pirates!" To everyone I saw. But I didn't, because I then reminded myself that NO ONE CARES about pirates.
Some things I learned from this book:
1 - A lot of what I "knew" about pirates turns out to be either false or misleading.
2 - The Golden Age of Pirates was only a little under 30 years long.
3 - Blackbeard was the Ultimate Scary Pirate. When you envision a scary, barbaric pirate, you envision him.
4 - Pirates ultimately need 2 things: 1 - a pirate-friendly port, fairly close to the pirate plundering grounds, to re-provision, and 2 - a pirate-friendly port to sell their stolen goods.
5 - America was that pirate-friendly port where they sold their stolen goods. The Caribbeans wasn't the hotbed of piracy until the last part of the Golden Age. Before then: America.
6 - ... And why couldn't they just go home (usually England)? They'd be arrested, of course! Proper England preferred proper business.
7 - The author makes a distinction between Real Pirates and Privateers, who were pirates hired by one country to plunder the ships of another country during wartime.
8 - The men hired as Privateers during wartime often became pirates after the war was over.
9 - Pirate captains were elected and could be voted out of office, too. Most of them were very good to their crew (especially by comparison to merchant captains of the day) and had no privileges that their men didn't have, other than a double share to the booty.
10 - The big man-of-war ship that we associate with pirates wasn't what they preferred. They wanted a smaller ship (it could hang out in waters where a man-of-war couldn't venture) that was Fast.
11 - Most pirates only had a 2 - 3 year pirating career. Then they were caught and hanged, or killed in battle. The best pirate (as declared by the author (and Wikipedia)), Bartholomew Roberts, had a career of 5 years before he was killed in battle.
12 - Bartholomew Roberts was AMAZING.
13 - Captain Kidd's story is tragic.
This book only has 4 stars for 2 reasons. It is exceptionally long (which didn't bother me, particularly, but gives me pause before I recommend it wholeheartedly); it's really only about The Pirates of The Golden Age, and so I feel the title is a little deceiving; and it kind of fizzled out at the end. Oh, wait, that was 3 reasons. ... I give this review only 4 out of 5 stars.
I thought the book was FASCINATING. It was long--like an encyclopedia of The Golden Age of Pirates. And keep in mind that I don't have any concept if a history book drags on, because I adore them. This book gives a brief history of piracy in general, then tells many of the stories of The Golden Age, along with facts and details that you never knew you never knew. Absolutely fantastic. I felt like I walked away understanding who these men (and women) were, why they existed, and where they came from.
After reading this book, I wanted to walk around saying, "Hey! Guess what you don't know about pirates!" To everyone I saw. But I didn't, because I then reminded myself that NO ONE CARES about pirates.
Some things I learned from this book:
1 - A lot of what I "knew" about pirates turns out to be either false or misleading.
2 - The Golden Age of Pirates was only a little under 30 years long.
3 - Blackbeard was the Ultimate Scary Pirate. When you envision a scary, barbaric pirate, you envision him.
4 - Pirates ultimately need 2 things: 1 - a pirate-friendly port, fairly close to the pirate plundering grounds, to re-provision, and 2 - a pirate-friendly port to sell their stolen goods.
5 - America was that pirate-friendly port where they sold their stolen goods. The Caribbeans wasn't the hotbed of piracy until the last part of the Golden Age. Before then: America.
6 - ... And why couldn't they just go home (usually England)? They'd be arrested, of course! Proper England preferred proper business.
7 - The author makes a distinction between Real Pirates and Privateers, who were pirates hired by one country to plunder the ships of another country during wartime.
8 - The men hired as Privateers during wartime often became pirates after the war was over.
9 - Pirate captains were elected and could be voted out of office, too. Most of them were very good to their crew (especially by comparison to merchant captains of the day) and had no privileges that their men didn't have, other than a double share to the booty.
10 - The big man-of-war ship that we associate with pirates wasn't what they preferred. They wanted a smaller ship (it could hang out in waters where a man-of-war couldn't venture) that was Fast.
11 - Most pirates only had a 2 - 3 year pirating career. Then they were caught and hanged, or killed in battle. The best pirate (as declared by the author (and Wikipedia)), Bartholomew Roberts, had a career of 5 years before he was killed in battle.
12 - Bartholomew Roberts was AMAZING.
13 - Captain Kidd's story is tragic.
This book only has 4 stars for 2 reasons. It is exceptionally long (which didn't bother me, particularly, but gives me pause before I recommend it wholeheartedly); it's really only about The Pirates of The Golden Age, and so I feel the title is a little deceiving; and it kind of fizzled out at the end. Oh, wait, that was 3 reasons. ... I give this review only 4 out of 5 stars.
May 17, 2021
The Pirates. The Seafarers
By: Douglas Botting & the Editors of Time-Life Books
Fierce clashes of flintlocks and swords as merchants left and right are boarded by pirates. The Pirates: The Seafarers covers the rampant piracy called the Golden Age of Piracy that occurred during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. I would strongly recommend this book to those who enjoy nautical history and this particular period because this book has covered a great deal of it.
The author covers the exploits and outcomes of captains such as Every, Tew, Teach, Kidd. These pirates were active in many places such as the Indian Ocean, West Africa, and North America. I thought that some of the most interesting parts in this book are comprehensive details on the plundering of large and bountiful ships such as one of the Moguls of India’s trading ship “Ganj-i-Sawai". I liked that the author brought up important events such the War of the Spanish Succession that had broken the stability of Europe at the turn of the 18th Century and how the warring nations equipped pirates to take from enemy shipping routes during wars. Detailed accounts cover conditions living aboard these ships influential distinguished figures and their lucrative exploits. The author uses records of crewmates and observers that give a deeper insight on pirate cultures, conditions, rules, and operations. Breaking these guidelines meant being marooned on an island or death, in order to keep the crew efficient. What surprised me was the shared attitudes of pirates on younger crew members, “where younger pirates were paid good shares, "to apprentice themselves on an honest trade ashore.”
The most enjoyable and captivating parts of this book were the last battles of the many pirates throwing their last fight before facing the ramifications of their actions. The author explores the theme of how desperation to escape the bleak life brings people to turn towards risky practices. It was a captivating read and I’m glad that I’ve learned more about that time period.
By: Douglas Botting & the Editors of Time-Life Books
Fierce clashes of flintlocks and swords as merchants left and right are boarded by pirates. The Pirates: The Seafarers covers the rampant piracy called the Golden Age of Piracy that occurred during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. I would strongly recommend this book to those who enjoy nautical history and this particular period because this book has covered a great deal of it.
The author covers the exploits and outcomes of captains such as Every, Tew, Teach, Kidd. These pirates were active in many places such as the Indian Ocean, West Africa, and North America. I thought that some of the most interesting parts in this book are comprehensive details on the plundering of large and bountiful ships such as one of the Moguls of India’s trading ship “Ganj-i-Sawai". I liked that the author brought up important events such the War of the Spanish Succession that had broken the stability of Europe at the turn of the 18th Century and how the warring nations equipped pirates to take from enemy shipping routes during wars. Detailed accounts cover conditions living aboard these ships influential distinguished figures and their lucrative exploits. The author uses records of crewmates and observers that give a deeper insight on pirate cultures, conditions, rules, and operations. Breaking these guidelines meant being marooned on an island or death, in order to keep the crew efficient. What surprised me was the shared attitudes of pirates on younger crew members, “where younger pirates were paid good shares, "to apprentice themselves on an honest trade ashore.”
The most enjoyable and captivating parts of this book were the last battles of the many pirates throwing their last fight before facing the ramifications of their actions. The author explores the theme of how desperation to escape the bleak life brings people to turn towards risky practices. It was a captivating read and I’m glad that I’ve learned more about that time period.
January 21, 2015
Amazing illustrations. I think this book was part of the old school Time-Life series about seafaring and whatnot. Entertaining and fairly informative.
November 25, 2025
Filled with some nice illustrations and a history of the times, the story of pirates is set in context to the happenings of the world. Turns out, the life of a pirate was fairly short yet filled with excitement. I cherry-picked this book from the library of Robert Poore, gone some 14 years now, RIP.
March 11, 2023
As good a work on the subject matter as any casual reader could really desire, unless the date of publication is a factual hinderance (insofar as the possibility of any new or conflicting information having arisen since then)- of that I am unaware.
Illustrations are colorful and abundant.
The information is well-written and sections are of proper length, as well as entertaining.
The primary con to my taste is that I wish the book as a whole was 33-50% shorter.
Illustrations are colorful and abundant.
The information is well-written and sections are of proper length, as well as entertaining.
The primary con to my taste is that I wish the book as a whole was 33-50% shorter.
June 23, 2021
A re-read inspired by our annual visit to the beach at St. Augustine and its history of piratical depredations, As is true of any of the Time-Life series, this volume had excellent illustrations and an engaging well-researched text. This volume covers the so-called Golden Age of Piracy which lastd from around 1695 to roughly 1720. Good descriptions of the pirates, their life and the conditions that led them into a life of crime.
August 14, 2007
Basic generic history of pirates with lots of good illustrations.
August 25, 2018
Very interesting read about the age of piracy.
January 12, 2023
Our Flag Means Death brought me here -- it's a reasonably interesting volume but you can definitely tell it was published in the 1970s.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews