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Pirates: Scourge of the Seas
You’ve seen the fantastical films—now, discover what life was really like aboard a pirate ship! No need for a bottle of rum to enjoy the exploits of these famous and fearsome swashbucklers. There’s a galleon’s worth of daredevil action in this awesome exploration of the weapons, adventures, legends, language, and lost treasures of the pirate world. A famous cast of characters make their appearance—a rogue’s gallery of notorious names from Blackbeard to Calico Jack to Captain Kidd. Find out about their hand-thrown projectiles, pistols, and cutlasses; the punishment and torture they meted out; and even their most famous song. Cool maps and plenty of pictures of men, ships, and flags make this the book that armchair pirates dreaming of the high seas will want!
205 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 31, 2019
Good general overview of a subject not often taught through either conventional learning or popular culture.
The history chapter starts off the book and is difficult to follow without the context that is given later on in the book in other chapters. Recommend reading that chapter last.
Will destroy any notions of romance that might be held about pirates with descriptions of their brutal practices and the bloodthirsty lifestyles of some of the captains, not to mention the terrible ends that often come to the less morally bankrupt captains.
The history is solidly white-centric with only token mentions to select Muslim and Chinese individuals. Other historical tidbits have been overgeneralized and in some cases toned down from other accounts. The Spanish are treated as a background element of a setting with no time at all spent on describing them beyond them being a target for other pirates. Queer-erasure is present as well, no mentions at all of homosexuality between sailors in any way despite an entire chapter on life at sea, and the relationship between Anne Bonny and Mary Read conspicuously downplayed in their entries.
It's okay, overall, decent introductory text that will give you an idea of what you'd like to learn next and what you could focus on.
The history chapter starts off the book and is difficult to follow without the context that is given later on in the book in other chapters. Recommend reading that chapter last.
Will destroy any notions of romance that might be held about pirates with descriptions of their brutal practices and the bloodthirsty lifestyles of some of the captains, not to mention the terrible ends that often come to the less morally bankrupt captains.
The history is solidly white-centric with only token mentions to select Muslim and Chinese individuals. Other historical tidbits have been overgeneralized and in some cases toned down from other accounts. The Spanish are treated as a background element of a setting with no time at all spent on describing them beyond them being a target for other pirates. Queer-erasure is present as well, no mentions at all of homosexuality between sailors in any way despite an entire chapter on life at sea, and the relationship between Anne Bonny and Mary Read conspicuously downplayed in their entries.
It's okay, overall, decent introductory text that will give you an idea of what you'd like to learn next and what you could focus on.
September 26, 2024
Content -wise 3.5 stars, rounded up thanks to the abundant and excellent art on every page and the fact they made an effort to have the pages look like old vellum like a pirate's map. (Oddly enough book was commissioned/printed expressly for Barnes & Nobles' bargain book kiosk) This is written, I think, with the middle grade/young adult in mind, so you had to read Treasure Island in school and now you're interested in pirates....
It's a brief look at all things pirates: how they became one (hint, most had no choice), their food, their clothes, the boats, the weapons all of it. It's almost done in an encyclopedia form with each item getting a paragraph or two. Later in the book we have the rogues' gallery of the most famous of the pirates (those are two pages each) and a look at fictional pirates and how they differed wildly from reality.
It's a very nice sampler, a way to ease into the subject matter. It can be a spring board to a deeper dive. Cheng I Sao for example would be one I'd like to read more on.
It's a brief look at all things pirates: how they became one (hint, most had no choice), their food, their clothes, the boats, the weapons all of it. It's almost done in an encyclopedia form with each item getting a paragraph or two. Later in the book we have the rogues' gallery of the most famous of the pirates (those are two pages each) and a look at fictional pirates and how they differed wildly from reality.
It's a very nice sampler, a way to ease into the subject matter. It can be a spring board to a deeper dive. Cheng I Sao for example would be one I'd like to read more on.
January 6, 2023
Upon opening this book, the reader discovers a treasure trove of information, graphics, and an outstanding design that enhances the topic. Whether one is an aficionado or a first-timer of the history of piracy, he/she will not be disappointed. The quality of this book makes it one to keep. The only criticism is the lack of sources for the information and artwork.
May 6, 2017
This a nice introductory text for anyone looking for a very general overview on pirates.
July 20, 2011
Do you want to read a book about legendary pirates that sails the seven seas. If so then you should read pirates scourge of the seas by jhon reeve carpenter.
This is a book that is all about a pirates life on the sea. It tells you everything there is to know about pirates from the guns they used to the close the wore and all of it is based on fact. This book has no charactes but at the end of the book it tells you about well known pirates like Black Beard. I do not think you can comair this book to any pirate books or movies out there.
The genra of this book is a documentary Some information about him is he is a featured film director for horror movies. I would recommend this book to people who like informational books.
Carpenter, John , sterling publisher co. Inc. august, 5, 2008 , 205 pg
This is a book that is all about a pirates life on the sea. It tells you everything there is to know about pirates from the guns they used to the close the wore and all of it is based on fact. This book has no charactes but at the end of the book it tells you about well known pirates like Black Beard. I do not think you can comair this book to any pirate books or movies out there.
The genra of this book is a documentary Some information about him is he is a featured film director for horror movies. I would recommend this book to people who like informational books.
Carpenter, John , sterling publisher co. Inc. august, 5, 2008 , 205 pg
March 14, 2009
colorful sketches & pages with organized snippets of info. including a pirate's life, pirate flags, ships, lore, fictional pirates, superstitions, pirate vocabulary, famous pirates, annotated history. After reading this, I am convinced the life of a pirate is NOT for me! Nonetheless an enjoyable and educational read.
December 5, 2016
15 men on a dead mans chest ho ho ho and a bottle of rum.., a very comprehensive history of pirates. Sad but true they lived a fast and fearless life that was so short that I probably would have found something else as a career path.
December 17, 2008
I like this book. It was fun to read and I learned where some of those old sea legends and stories came from. I also learned what pirate life was really like.
May 16, 2015
It was a really good book about pirates and what actually happened.
July 23, 2014
I loved this book; I'm kind of obsessed with pirates and I am working on a series about pirates so this book helped out with some historical facts
November 27, 2014
Brief, but colorful. Great as an intro or overview. Very helpful in generating ideas for piratical characters.
June 7, 2016
Fun book on pirates. I think my favorite part is the cool cover.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews