The Pirate Code: From Honorable Thieves to Modern-Day Villains

by Brenda Ralph Lewis

Despite what countless buccaneering books and movies may suggest, never has there been a universal Pirate Code to bind the merry (and mean) marauders of seafaring history. In fact there have been many “codes,” and drawing out their common elements into a single concept is no easy task. The Pirate Code is the first book to bring together thousands of years of pirating traditions in a clear and authoritative manner.

 

Chronicling the rules and realities of pirates’ shipboard life through the ages, Brenda Ralph Lewis explores what “honor among thieves” has really meant—whether for the pirates of the ancient Aegean, the seventeenth-century Brethren of the Coast who inspired the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or modern-day pirates on the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Lavishly illustrated and engagingly written, this book is a must for all serious devotees of pirate lore.

Genres: History, Pirates

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2008

About the author

Brenda Ralph Lewis is a writer with over 200 books on history and numerous magazine articles and television documentaries to her name. Her fascination with Scottish history and culture began early in her career and she has since returned to the subject at every opportunity. She regards [her] book on tartans as a labor of love.

Reviews

[Dorin Lazăr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a problem - it doesn't know if it wants to be a history of piracy or a history of the pirate laws/codes; and it manages to be none of these while navigating with a questionable logic through the topic. It jumps from first millenium BC to 172x - then back to 1600s and alludes from time to time to things that happened before that, but also things that happened afterwards. It's a nice collection, don't get me wrong, the illustrations are interesting, some dates might be skewed, and definitely it's not a good reference material for someone who uses this as a sole source of information.

It is, on the other hand, a friendly introduction to the topic of piracy. I think this could be a good starting point for a study on this topic, but expect that real data and ideas to be a bit different than what you find here.

[F3t · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sudah bisa dipastikan, buku sekolah tidak mengandung kisah bajak laut, kan? ☠ Oleh karenanya buku ini bisa jadi satu-satunya buku sejarah terlengkap (terbitan berbahasa Indonesia) yang khusus membahas tentang bajak laut⚓.
Tidak hanya membahas "para" bajak laut yang ada di benua Eropa, namun juga di seluruh dunia. Selain itu dijelaskan pula sistem dan kebiasaan yang banyak ditemukan di kalangan bajak laut. Kelebihan buku ini juga karena dipenuhi dengan potongan gambar yang 'WAH'. Lumayan seru juga 😁.
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"Bajak laut Wokou pertama kali muncul dalam sejarah tahun 1223, mereka menyerang Korea di sebelah utara pantai Kyushu, pulau Iki dan Tsushima." - halaman 60.
"Setelah Toyotomi Hideyoshi meninggal pada 1598, bajak laut menyerbu Asia Tenggara, termasuk Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, dan Kamboja di semenanjung Indochina." - halaman 74.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. There was some fascinating historical content, as well as stories concerning individual pirates, that helped flesh out the subject.