Pirates

by John Matthews

Ever wanted to be a pirate? Sign the contract that comes with this book and you'll be ready to sail the high seas. There's even a pirate slang dictionary, to help you talk the talk as you walk the plank. With detailed biographies of legendary pirates plus features on their weapons, codes of conduct and punishments, Pirates delivers a thrilling portrait of life at sea in a bygone age - a story rich in colour, intrigue and adventure. Documents include a guide to pirate weaponry, a guide to their bloodthirsty flags, wanted posters, and the grisly notice of a death sentence on the crew of Bartholomew Roberts.

Genres: Pirates, History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Reference, Research

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

John Matthews is an historian, folklorist and author. He has been a full time writer since 1980 and has produced over ninety books on the Arthurian Legends and Grail Studies, as well as short stories and a volume of poetry. He has devoted much of the past thirty years to the study of Arthurian Traditions and myth in general. His best known and most widely read works are ‘Pirates’ (Carlton/Atheneum), No 1 children’s book on the New York Times Review best-seller list for 22 weeks in 2006, ‘The Grail, Quest for Eternal Life’ (Thames & Hudson, 1981) ‘The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom’ (Element, 1994) and ‘The Winter Solstice’ (Quest Books, 1999) which won the Benjamin Franklin Award for that year. His book ‘Celtic Warrior Chiefs’ was a New York Public Library recommended title for young people.

Reviews

[Melon]

short fun little read about pirates. :)

[Emily M]

4.5/5

Got this during my first "pirate phase" and revisited to decide whether to pass it on to my nephew.
My conclusion was "yes", because this is a fun and informative volume covering both the adventurous and legendary side of pirates (including fictional examples) as well as the grittier aspects (the violence, the terrible food, the unpleasant end many met).

Throughout the book there are lots of replicas of historic documents, often tucked into little pouches that you can open up to reveal Blackbeard's wanted poster, a list of pirate slang, or a job ad for privateers. One one side flap we see the ship's articles (rules) of Black Bart, who was not only one of the the most successful pirates - having captured 400 ships during his career - but apparently rather forward-thinking, based on those articles: All crew members had a vote "in affairs of moment" and "equal title to the fresh provisions, or strong liquors, at any time seized"; as well as, rather charmingly, "the lights and candles to be put out at eight o'clock at night" (because you can't have your crew ruining each other's beauty rest!). There's also a detailed cross section of Blackbeard's ship, the 'Queen Anne's Revenge' pointing out the name of all the parts; an array of different historical Jolly Rogers; and a glossary of nautical terms at the back.

Lady pirates were not forgotten, which I appreciate - Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Grace O'Malley, and Ann Mills all get their mention. The book could have been extended with a bit more international focus (there's nothing on the pirates of the Barbary Coast or the South China Sea, for example, nor of pirate media from non-English-speaking countries), but as the focus was mainly on the "Golden Age of Piracy" focused around the Atlantic and colonial Caribbean, that's OK.

I keep going back and forth on whether it should have addressed the interactions between piracy and slavery and colonialism in the region (this is my third edit of this section) and...yes, actually, I think it could and should have done so. There are some interesting nuances there, with piracy feeding off of the extraction of riches from the Americas - that gold they were going after having been, arguably, previously stolen already - pirates sometimes working with native groups and sometimes attacking them, there being black pirates but also pirates treating cargoes of enslaved people as property to be claimed...In other words, there was a lot going on there that deserved a couple of pages, if the care was put in to handle it sensitively.

All in all, though, would recommend for readers 11-or-12 and up who like adventure stories and would like to get some "fact checking" for tales like 'Pirates of the Caribbean' or 'Treasure Island' that is still presented in a fun way.

[Rue Baldry]

This book is a beautiful object, with its glittering ruby eyes on the front cover, the lovely inserted documents, carefully reproduced, well-chosen illustrations and evocative, clear, attractive layout. It is also informative, a great place for children to dive deeper in their knowledge of real pirates and for adults like me to get a basic handle on the subject at the start of a period of research. Although aimed at children there is nothing patronising or over-simplified in the text. There is a certain amount of responsible cleaning up of some aspects of pirate life (eg the sexual elements), but the text makes it clear that there was nothing romantic about being a pirate or the victim of pirates, without ignoring why most people find them so exciting.

[Marcie]

John Matthews' Pirates is a gorgeous text for middle schoolers to learn more about pirates and piracy. Not only does it address major pirate themes, but it is also interactive, in addition to artistically including many interesting sidebar facts. The addition of a timeline and a glossary of nautical terms is quite helpful in acquiring a comprehensive understanding of piracy.

[Maria]

A friend heard I was doing a pirate theme at work and lend me this book to read. It was an easy read with nice illustrations. The book also has small extra features that help better the over all reading experience. Interesting to read. Who doesn't love a bit of fictional piracy every now and then?

[Liz]

An interesting and interactive introduction to the reality of piracy. This book takes a look at the real-life pirates and compares them to the romanticized versions that most people know. Interesting information, and a good place to start for background research.

[Joana]

BUY THIS FOR YOUR KIDS!!!! Honestly this was excellent and so much fun, and I'm so glad my cousin let me borrow it!! This was more realistic and truthful than I expected, it full on explained keelhauling, which I did not expect, but really it adds a lot of interesting things to the content I've been consuming - I LIKE the detailed documents from the time, but also the illustrations from the time!!! This was just so GOOD!!! YES!!! FIND IT AND READ IT if you love pirates!!!

[Sarah Lombard]

It was a lot of fun!

[Janet Mahlum]

What a fun book to read - illustrations, envelopes with wanted posters, treasure maps and more. The pages are sturdy cardboard giving the book a different feel.

[Justin Frye]

good

[Belle Meade School]

F
Mat

[Natasha]

This book has a lot of information but it did not go in-depth on anything.

[Jake]

Got this as a kid back in 2006. I still have it and still love it. Tons of "feelies" inside. Little booklets and pull tabs and stamps and maps.

[Isabell Einarsson Nygårds]

it was a fun easy read

[Andrea]

If the cover of this book doesn't draw you in, maybe the interactive stuff on the inside would. Jerry Bruckheimer said "A wonderful book for all who love pirates".

This interactive book teaches you about pirates. While some of it is a little gory (what? Pirates weren't nice?) it is really interesting. It includes pirate history through the ages. How they've been portrayed in film, etc. I really love all of the little things it includes like a little book within the book of weaponry, one on pirate slang, a page on ships and flags, a pirate gallery of famous pirates, a treasure map, punishment for caught pirates, etc.

I love this book.

[Kristina]

No glossary, No Table of contents but there is an index. This book is for more advanced readers...teacher lead read aloud in k-2. This book gives a detailed account of pirate life and pirate ships. It gives different types of ships and different kinds of flags. Interactive text with lots of pull outs. Covers most subtopics… including different pirates and fictional pirates. Also has a time line.

[Shiralea Woodhouse]

my kids really liked this book - it has lots of interesting info as well as fun things to pull out or unfold - like treasure maps! I actually read it myself -liked the stuff about the girl pirates! :)

[Bill]

A fun book for young readers, this profusely illustrated book in Authentium's Book for Young Readers line is historically accurate. I even found a little treasure in the book myself, a bit of arcane history from the 1700s!

[Blanche]

I saw the cover and immediately snapped this up from the bargain books section. Filled with fun tidbits about ships and weapons, small biographies of historical pirates, and copies of articles of piracy/privateering, this was quite fun to read. A pop-up book for adults!

[Heather Smith]

Cool book, but really easy for little kids to mess up!

[Mikanchin]

海賊好きの人にいいのでしょう。

たくさんの手紙などがついていてそれをめくるのは楽しい。

[The Reading Countess]

http://www.recycleyourreads.com/?p=2577

[Erin]

Good information and extras

[Cara]

A great interactive book! Covers just about ever possible sub-topic incudes a timeline and glossary but no index or table of contents. Pullouts increase knowledge and are not just for looks.

[Varun karthikeyan]

The pictures and the description about the pirates are quite nice! its every kids dream book on pirates.. Simple yet so much information!!!

[Ivan]

Amusant et instructif, bien que quelque peu sanglant. Une image des pirates sans secret ou adoucissements.

[Stephanie]

Shiver me timbers

[Marjorie Cummings]

This book contains everything to know about pirates!!

[Tallis]

i love pirates!!

[Yuzuki]

手紙がたくさんついていた。オススメ。