What do you think?
Rate this book
At the Point of a Cutlass: The Pirate Capture, Bold Escape, and Lonely Exile of Philip Ashton
A handful of sea stories define the American maritime narrative. Stories of whaling, fishing, exploration, naval adventure, and piracy have always captured our imaginations, and the most colorful of these are the tales of piracy. Called America’s real-life Robinson Crusoe, the true story of Philip Ashton—a nineteen-year-old fisherman captured by pirates, impressed as a crewman, subjected to torture and hardship, who eventually escaped and lived as a castaway and scavenger on a deserted island in the Caribbean—was at one time as well known as the tales of Cooper, Hawthorne, and Defoe. Based on a rare copy of Ashton’s 1725 account, Gregory N. Flemming’s vivid portrait recounts this maritime world during the golden age of piracy. Fishing vessels and merchantmen plied the coastal waters and crisscrossed the Atlantic and Caribbean. It was a hard, dangerous life, made more so by both the depredations and temptations of piracy. Chased by the British Royal Navy, blown out of the water or summarily hung when caught, pirate captains such as Edward Low kidnapped, cajoled, beat, and bribed men like Ashton into the rich—but also vile, brutal, and often short—life of the pirate. In the tradition of Nathaniel Philbrick, At the Point of a Cutlass expands on a lost classic narrative of America and the sea, and brings to life a forgotten world of ships and men on both sides of maritime law.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
23 people are currently reading
504 people want to read
About the author
Gregory N. Flemming
1 book5 followersGregory N. Flemming spent more than three years researching At the Point of a Cutlass, which tells for the first time the complete story of Marblehead fisherman Philip Ashton and the horrific pirates who captured him.
When researching and writing At the Point of a Cutlass, Greg explored many of the key locations in Ashton’s odyssey, from the remote Nova Scotia harbor where Ashton was captured at gunpoint to the Caribbean island of Roatan, forty miles off the coast of Honduras, where Ashton escaped. Much of Roatan’s hilly terrain remains, even today, unpopulated and heavily forested — the eastern part of the island, where Ashton was marooned and lived, is still accessible only by boat.
The book draws not only on Ashton’s own first-person account of his experiences, but also a wealth of other materials, including hundreds of colonial newspaper reports, trial records, and the hand-written logbooks and correspondence from the British warships that patrolled the Bay of Honduras and fought with Edward Low’s pirate crew.
Greg is a former journalist with a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A New England native, he is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. He lives with his family in New England. Read more atgregflemming.com.
When researching and writing At the Point of a Cutlass, Greg explored many of the key locations in Ashton’s odyssey, from the remote Nova Scotia harbor where Ashton was captured at gunpoint to the Caribbean island of Roatan, forty miles off the coast of Honduras, where Ashton escaped. Much of Roatan’s hilly terrain remains, even today, unpopulated and heavily forested — the eastern part of the island, where Ashton was marooned and lived, is still accessible only by boat.
The book draws not only on Ashton’s own first-person account of his experiences, but also a wealth of other materials, including hundreds of colonial newspaper reports, trial records, and the hand-written logbooks and correspondence from the British warships that patrolled the Bay of Honduras and fought with Edward Low’s pirate crew.
Greg is a former journalist with a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A New England native, he is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. He lives with his family in New England. Read more atgregflemming.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 10, 2025
Feel like reading about pirates? Here's a short book (195 pages, not counting the pages of footnotes in the back!) focusing on the story of the American Robinson Crusoe, Philip Ashton of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Ashton was a cod fisherman who was captured by pirates off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1722. He was impressed into service on the pirate ship and, because he refused to sign the ship's articles and join the crew, he was beaten. The hard and dangerous life at sea was made even worse for "forced" men as the men who were forced to work on board the pirate ships were called. But Ashton hoped that he could escape the pirates and somehow make his way back home--and if he became a pirate, he would be hanged if caught. He managed to escape on a small uninhabited island off the coast of Honduras (the island of Roatan) and there he was a castaway, barely able to survive. Finally, he was able to find a ship which would return him to Massachusetts. That was in 1725, almost three years after he had left his home.
Thanks to Ashton's pastor, John Barnard, the story would survive, as Barnard wrote down Ashton's story. It was published in 1725 in Boston and, later, it was published in London. Philip Ashton became well-known in his time. Perhaps Daniel Defoe, author of "Robinson Crusoe" ( published in 1719) read the book...
By expanding on a forgotten manuscript, author Gregory Flemming brings to life the early 18th Century "Golden Age of Piracy."
Thanks to Ashton's pastor, John Barnard, the story would survive, as Barnard wrote down Ashton's story. It was published in 1725 in Boston and, later, it was published in London. Philip Ashton became well-known in his time. Perhaps Daniel Defoe, author of "Robinson Crusoe" ( published in 1719) read the book...
By expanding on a forgotten manuscript, author Gregory Flemming brings to life the early 18th Century "Golden Age of Piracy."
June 26, 2014
The first twenty years of the 18th century marked the Golden Age of Pirates along the American colonies' coast. Based on Marblehead, Mass. native Philip Ashton's 65-page first-person account, Gregory Flemming has brought the young fisherman's adventure to life again. Ashton was nabbed not by a more famous pirate like Blackbeard, but by one very well known in his day, one Edward Low.
Low was a quirky little pirate. He would ask if captives whether they were married or not, and no one quite knew if the correct answer was yes or no. As most of the captives Low sought to keep were young and able-bodied, the answer was more often than not "no."
Aaaaant! Wrong answer. Seems Low, who was married, had a child, and lost a wife before taking up piracy, had a soft spot for marriage. Quite simply, he let married men go.
Before you get the soft fuzzies for the guy, know that he was a twisted fellow in other ways. He liked to cut captives' lips and ears off, cook them over a fire, and force the wounded prisoner to eat his own lips or ears. Yum! He also once dug a heart out and cooked THAT, though I don't think the captive held on to witness and eat the organ.
Pirates drink a lot. And swear. And torture. But amongst themselves they are quite democratic. You'll learn a thing or two about their culture and their typical sea routes in this book. You'll also see just how hard it was to survive.
Even men forced into service were often later hanged as pirates themselves if they were captured. According to the law, you were supposed to refuse to partake in any pirate activities, but if you didn't, the pirates would threaten to torture or even kill you (and sometimes, if the mood struck, they followed through).
Devil, meet Deep Blue Sea.
A few times Flemming gets repetitive, but overall I got caught up on both the derring and the do. Ashton eventually escapes, but then winds up marooned on an uninhabited Caribbean island with nothing and I mean nothing to help him survive.
Rock, meet Hard Place.
So if piracy is your thing, shiver your timber (uh, in private) and give this one a go. You'll learn something. And enjoy it.
Low was a quirky little pirate. He would ask if captives whether they were married or not, and no one quite knew if the correct answer was yes or no. As most of the captives Low sought to keep were young and able-bodied, the answer was more often than not "no."
Aaaaant! Wrong answer. Seems Low, who was married, had a child, and lost a wife before taking up piracy, had a soft spot for marriage. Quite simply, he let married men go.
Before you get the soft fuzzies for the guy, know that he was a twisted fellow in other ways. He liked to cut captives' lips and ears off, cook them over a fire, and force the wounded prisoner to eat his own lips or ears. Yum! He also once dug a heart out and cooked THAT, though I don't think the captive held on to witness and eat the organ.
Pirates drink a lot. And swear. And torture. But amongst themselves they are quite democratic. You'll learn a thing or two about their culture and their typical sea routes in this book. You'll also see just how hard it was to survive.
Even men forced into service were often later hanged as pirates themselves if they were captured. According to the law, you were supposed to refuse to partake in any pirate activities, but if you didn't, the pirates would threaten to torture or even kill you (and sometimes, if the mood struck, they followed through).
Devil, meet Deep Blue Sea.
A few times Flemming gets repetitive, but overall I got caught up on both the derring and the do. Ashton eventually escapes, but then winds up marooned on an uninhabited Caribbean island with nothing and I mean nothing to help him survive.
Rock, meet Hard Place.
So if piracy is your thing, shiver your timber (uh, in private) and give this one a go. You'll learn something. And enjoy it.
June 15, 2014
At the Point of a Cutlass by Gregory N. Flemming (ForeEdge (the University Press of New England), 2014, 256 pages, $26.90/$14.99) tells the story of Phillip Ashton, a cod fisherman from Marblehead, Massachusetts, who, in 1722 was captured by the pirate Edward Low, a man more vicious and arguably more successful than the better known Edward Teach, famed as Blackbeard. Attacked and captured from his fishing schooner off the coast of Nova Scotia, the nineteen year old Ashton, was subjected to incredible verbal and physical abuse by the captain and crew of Low's ship in order to force him to sign the ship's articles and thus declare himself a criminal along with them. By refusing to sign the articles, he preserved his innocence against charges of piracy, should he ever once again gain his freedom. This harrowing tale of the ending stages of the so-called Golden Age of Piracy uses Ashton's tribulations and eventual triumph as an organizing focus for an important element in the transition of New England from a Puritan colony to the birthplace of the American Revolution in a time of turmoil, violence, and changing values.
The story of Philip Ashton, by itself is pretty slim stuff for a book about piracy or an important moment in American history. Combined, however, with the contexts of a region and world changing from one dominated by religious squabbling into the more recognizable mercantile/political world of the American Revolution illuminates the changes through the experience of one man. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was just over a century removed from the small band of Pilgrims seeking to establish a Puritan theocracy on the unprepossessing shores of rocky New England. Towns along the coast like Marblehead were a source of intrepid fisherman combing the Grand Banks for the rich food source of cod, a fish in those days much larger than anything we would imagine today. Fishermen, manning small boats far out at sea fished, caught, salted, and packed barrels of cod for export to England and the Caribbean. Meanwhile, a large, colorful, and vicious group of anti-social (perhaps psychopathic) ships' captains ruled the waters with violence exceeding even the unpleasant norm of the sea world. They ransacked, captured, sank, and destroyed literally thousands of Spanish ships transporting wealth home, English merchants plying the triangle trade from New England to the Carribbean, to Great Britain, and colonial loggers working the forests of what is now Central and South America for the rich lode of logwood, a source of a rare red dye. These pirates, with a penchant for violence reminiscent of today's most vicious gangs, ruled by using senseless violence, destroying everything they could not carry off. Eventually, Ashton escaped Low's small maritime empire onto a small island off the coast of Honduras. Read the remainder of this review on my blog. If you decide to purchase it, please consider using the Amazon portal there.....
The story of Philip Ashton, by itself is pretty slim stuff for a book about piracy or an important moment in American history. Combined, however, with the contexts of a region and world changing from one dominated by religious squabbling into the more recognizable mercantile/political world of the American Revolution illuminates the changes through the experience of one man. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was just over a century removed from the small band of Pilgrims seeking to establish a Puritan theocracy on the unprepossessing shores of rocky New England. Towns along the coast like Marblehead were a source of intrepid fisherman combing the Grand Banks for the rich food source of cod, a fish in those days much larger than anything we would imagine today. Fishermen, manning small boats far out at sea fished, caught, salted, and packed barrels of cod for export to England and the Caribbean. Meanwhile, a large, colorful, and vicious group of anti-social (perhaps psychopathic) ships' captains ruled the waters with violence exceeding even the unpleasant norm of the sea world. They ransacked, captured, sank, and destroyed literally thousands of Spanish ships transporting wealth home, English merchants plying the triangle trade from New England to the Carribbean, to Great Britain, and colonial loggers working the forests of what is now Central and South America for the rich lode of logwood, a source of a rare red dye. These pirates, with a penchant for violence reminiscent of today's most vicious gangs, ruled by using senseless violence, destroying everything they could not carry off. Eventually, Ashton escaped Low's small maritime empire onto a small island off the coast of Honduras. Read the remainder of this review on my blog. If you decide to purchase it, please consider using the Amazon portal there.....
September 22, 2014
Arr, so ye like pirates do ye? Well, if that be the case, ye should definitely read this here book.
Gregory N. Flemming tells the real-life tale of Philip Ashton, a Marblehead fisherman taken captive by pirates off the coats of Port Royal, Nova Scotia in the 1720S. Ashton's captor, Pirate Captain Edward Low, beats, berates, and threatens Ashton with his life during his many attempts to get the young, able-bodied and seasoned sailor to sign on to his crew. Life would have been better for Ashton if he had signed on as a pirate; the beatings, grunt work, and daily fears of physical reprisal would have ended and Ashton would have received a share in the prizes that Low and his pirate crew captured. But Ashton refused to give in. Instead, Ashton waits just over a year for his opportunity to escape. When he seizes his chance, Ashton escapes into the thick jungle brush of a deserted island where he attempts to live alone for over 2 years.
In discussing the life of Ashton, Flemming also follows the lives of Low, Ashton's friend and fishing boat mate Joseph Libbey, several of the pirates that Low partnered with, and the British Royal Navy captains who chased Low and other pirates across the Atlantic Ocean. At the Point of the Cutlass is a well-written and captivating story about the golden age of piracy. It does not romanticize or vilify pirates. It is a work that sheds light on the realities of pirate and sailor life during the early part of the eighteenth century.
Gregory N. Flemming tells the real-life tale of Philip Ashton, a Marblehead fisherman taken captive by pirates off the coats of Port Royal, Nova Scotia in the 1720S. Ashton's captor, Pirate Captain Edward Low, beats, berates, and threatens Ashton with his life during his many attempts to get the young, able-bodied and seasoned sailor to sign on to his crew. Life would have been better for Ashton if he had signed on as a pirate; the beatings, grunt work, and daily fears of physical reprisal would have ended and Ashton would have received a share in the prizes that Low and his pirate crew captured. But Ashton refused to give in. Instead, Ashton waits just over a year for his opportunity to escape. When he seizes his chance, Ashton escapes into the thick jungle brush of a deserted island where he attempts to live alone for over 2 years.
In discussing the life of Ashton, Flemming also follows the lives of Low, Ashton's friend and fishing boat mate Joseph Libbey, several of the pirates that Low partnered with, and the British Royal Navy captains who chased Low and other pirates across the Atlantic Ocean. At the Point of the Cutlass is a well-written and captivating story about the golden age of piracy. It does not romanticize or vilify pirates. It is a work that sheds light on the realities of pirate and sailor life during the early part of the eighteenth century.
April 11, 2015
Living in Marblehead, I enjoyed reading this book since many of the main characters, especially Ashton were fishermen from this area who were taken by Low and other pirates to add to their crew.
The book brought life into the time of pirates as well as the English who were sailing in the area to tame piracy.
Interesting the Defoe (who wrote Robinson Crusoe) likely read Aston's story and taken some inspiration from it.
I especially enjoyed learning about John Barnard, a pastor at Old North Church (the church that Helen & I currently attend) around 1725 gave a stirring sermon about Ashton's trials in the time period just after Cotton Mather and his son.
If you like history, especially New England history, this book is for you
The book brought life into the time of pirates as well as the English who were sailing in the area to tame piracy.
Interesting the Defoe (who wrote Robinson Crusoe) likely read Aston's story and taken some inspiration from it.
I especially enjoyed learning about John Barnard, a pastor at Old North Church (the church that Helen & I currently attend) around 1725 gave a stirring sermon about Ashton's trials in the time period just after Cotton Mather and his son.
If you like history, especially New England history, this book is for you
October 16, 2017
An extremely interesting, informative book, written by a current PhD based on the actual journal of an early 1700's Marblehead, MA, fisherman who's captured by pirates, escapes, only to become marooned on a small island in the Bay of Honduras for the better part of a year before being rescued. Tons of real-life "adventures" and "misadventures" of pirates during their apparent heyday.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly, although I would have preferred more effective editing - too many sentences starting with exactly the same words in a single paragraph (and would someone please tell the writer and editor that the past tense of "sink" is "sank," not "sunk"?). Otherwise, a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in this particular period of pirate history.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly, although I would have preferred more effective editing - too many sentences starting with exactly the same words in a single paragraph (and would someone please tell the writer and editor that the past tense of "sink" is "sank," not "sunk"?). Otherwise, a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in this particular period of pirate history.
August 4, 2020
Several years ago--it’s somewhat embarrassing how many--when I didn’t know so many people in Boston and had more spare time to do stuff just because it seemed cool, I wandered into Porter Square Books for a book event for a book and author I had never heard of. But it seemed like the sort of thing I should stick around for, as the book was titled At the Point of a Cutlass: The Pirate Capture, Bold Escape, and Lonely Exile of Philip Ashton, by one Gregory N. Flemming. Mr. Flemming gave a lively talk in which he seemed like he’d had a ton of fun researching the book, which follows and contextualizes the unwilling exploits of one Philip Ashton, an early 18th-century fisherman from Marblehead, Massachusetts, which borders Salem. The extremely short version is that Mr. Ashton’s fishing crew went up Nova Scotia way for the cod, got kidnapped by one bloodthirsty bastard name of Edward Low, was beaten up a lot and forced to do menial labor all the way to the Caribbean by way of the Azores, then ran away at a water stop and lived for nearly two years on an uninhabited island near Port Royal, Jamaica, until he was rescued by a ship from another little North Shore town right outside Marblehead. He then got home and, with the help of his local minister, wrote a memoir that became a bestseller, then went back to being a regular fisherman.
That is, of course, the extremely short version, although even the long version is a little skimpy on stuff that happened during the sixteen months or so he was living alone on the island, presumably because it was boring as shit and approximately five things happened over the entire year and a half. Much of the book is therefore padded out with the stories of the people around Ashton, like some of his shipmates, the stories of the various characters he runs into, his priest and every other priest his priest ever hung out with, and, of course, the career of the pirate captain who kidnapped him, Edward Low. In fact, Edward Low’s brief but bloody career probably gets the most page time of any one story arc in the book. This is a very good narrative choice, IMO, because Edward Low is one of the most absolutely fucked-up, brutal pirate characters of the Golden Age, and he doesn’t get nearly enough publicity. He was known for being extremely creative, torture-wise, and he and his fleet caused an enormous amount of havoc in a very short period of time up and down the Atlantic seaboard. He was great fun to read about.
At the rate of only one pirate book a summer it is unlikely I will get all my pirate books read anytime soon, but I really do tend to hang onto them so I can read them at the lake, and I will probably continue to do that because it is certainly the nicest situation for reading about pirate shit specifically.
Originally posted at A far-flung bit of local history.
That is, of course, the extremely short version, although even the long version is a little skimpy on stuff that happened during the sixteen months or so he was living alone on the island, presumably because it was boring as shit and approximately five things happened over the entire year and a half. Much of the book is therefore padded out with the stories of the people around Ashton, like some of his shipmates, the stories of the various characters he runs into, his priest and every other priest his priest ever hung out with, and, of course, the career of the pirate captain who kidnapped him, Edward Low. In fact, Edward Low’s brief but bloody career probably gets the most page time of any one story arc in the book. This is a very good narrative choice, IMO, because Edward Low is one of the most absolutely fucked-up, brutal pirate characters of the Golden Age, and he doesn’t get nearly enough publicity. He was known for being extremely creative, torture-wise, and he and his fleet caused an enormous amount of havoc in a very short period of time up and down the Atlantic seaboard. He was great fun to read about.
At the rate of only one pirate book a summer it is unlikely I will get all my pirate books read anytime soon, but I really do tend to hang onto them so I can read them at the lake, and I will probably continue to do that because it is certainly the nicest situation for reading about pirate shit specifically.
Originally posted at A far-flung bit of local history.
February 8, 2018
Ok, this is a great adventure story about real pirate kidnappings - and it's all true. But here's where I get really frustrated - by listing out the facts and retelling what happened, we know all the dates and who was where and what they might have had for dinner and which flag was flying and why, but it is completely depleted of what would be an amazing adventure tale. That is why historical fiction wins with me every time - because yes, maybe a good deal of it is made up to make the story more interesting - more deep and alluring, but it far surpasses this dry, methodical text - even text relating the ruthless pirate way of life - in holding my interest and more importantly, making reading thrilling and fun. I couldn't really feel the desperation of Ashton being stranded and sick on a deserted island with no shoes or supplies - which I realize must have been harrowing. But just saying it was harrowing is not enough - not for me. Unfortunately, I will probably not remember reading this book because it's strictly facts one written after another and often repeated - you can see how the story is just being retold in sections. It made me want to go read a really great pirate novel.
It's short, and if you're studying pirates it's got a lot of remarkable knowledge of events and characteristics of a lot of different pirates, sea captains, and ships of the early 1700's. But if it's the story you're looking for, I'm not going to recommend it here.
It's short, and if you're studying pirates it's got a lot of remarkable knowledge of events and characteristics of a lot of different pirates, sea captains, and ships of the early 1700's. But if it's the story you're looking for, I'm not going to recommend it here.
January 1, 2015
This was a worthwhile read. Although the title clearly states it is about Ashton, the book was more about the pirates the put him through his ordeal. not that I mind. Good overview of some of the most notorious pirates and how they treated those they raided and captured. I recommend this book as a must read if you are into the early 1700's history.
July 17, 2019
A fun but ultimately dry read. I purchased his book at an author’s talk, which was great! But the abundance of names, especially of the pirates, proved confusing, and some of the chapters included redundant passages. Still, it’s a good read for the summer: who wouldn’t want to read about pirates on a New England beach?
September 16, 2014
Fascinating
May 25, 2017
Entertaining read. There were a few detours into the world of puritan ministers that I, like the pirates themselves, could have done without but otherwise I enjoyed the adventure.
June 17, 2017
The Atlantic Piracy problem occurred between 1710-1730, with the height of piracy in 1720, when pirates were attacking one ship per week. The pirates weren't going after Spanish gold specifically, but anything they could eat or drink. A profitable cargo of logwood (haematoxylum campechiarun) was harvested by Baymen, in central america. Baymen were hounded by both Spaniards and pirates. Logwood was used for dyes. What Pirates couldn't consume, gold, jewels and manpower excepted, was dumped overboard.
For number of ships attacked, people killed, cargo stolen and lost, Low and Spriggs had the numbers over Blackbeard.
Flemming describes differences in applied Puritan philosophy between Cotton Mather, in Boston and John Barnard, in Marblehead Mass ( in the sticks). Cotton Mather was less influential than John Barnard on locals. John Barnard promoted the "benefits and blessings" of good Christian living. Cotton Mather was convinced most men were already going to hell.
On a side note, Cotton Mather was an early promoter of smallpox innoculation against prevailing Boston medical community. Benjamin Franklin's older brother James published a new newspaper whose primary objective was to "oppose the doubtful and dangerous practice of inoculating the small pox."
Individuals have a mix of right and wrong ideas, and answers. Warren Buffet has attributed his success to "didn't make too many big mistakes."
This book could have used pictures of different types of ships with named parts (Trysail) . Pinks, Schooners, Piraguas, Sloops, Warship, Slaving Ship, Brigantine, Merchant Vessel, Snow.
For number of ships attacked, people killed, cargo stolen and lost, Low and Spriggs had the numbers over Blackbeard.
Flemming describes differences in applied Puritan philosophy between Cotton Mather, in Boston and John Barnard, in Marblehead Mass ( in the sticks). Cotton Mather was less influential than John Barnard on locals. John Barnard promoted the "benefits and blessings" of good Christian living. Cotton Mather was convinced most men were already going to hell.
On a side note, Cotton Mather was an early promoter of smallpox innoculation against prevailing Boston medical community. Benjamin Franklin's older brother James published a new newspaper whose primary objective was to "oppose the doubtful and dangerous practice of inoculating the small pox."
Individuals have a mix of right and wrong ideas, and answers. Warren Buffet has attributed his success to "didn't make too many big mistakes."
This book could have used pictures of different types of ships with named parts (Trysail) . Pinks, Schooners, Piraguas, Sloops, Warship, Slaving Ship, Brigantine, Merchant Vessel, Snow.
October 20, 2014
3.5 of 5 stars – Fascinating Tale of One Man and Pirating in Early 1700s.
(I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks!)
I‘m a history fan, particularly the colonial and revolutionary period, as well as, since childhood, a fan of pirates; but I had not heard of this interesting story before. Just the story of Philip Ashton might be interesting, but Flemming takes it to the next level by putting it into context by with a broader history of pirating mainly during its heyday in the early 1700s. As such, it also is a story about pirates, primarily focusing on the hated captains Low and Spriggs and their crews.
My early fascination was from romanticized stories of pirates, and I’d since grown to know it was otherwise. But this book soberly portrays that dirty cruel life, and I enjoyed learning more about it. I was aware of captives and forced service, but not the extent among pirates. I appreciated learning that Ashton was by far not the only one marooned and had to find his way back, his story was just one of the more improbable and definitely more publicized, as the book points out. And I had never heard of the thriving business of logwood (second only to tobacco).
Flemming has done a wonderful job with the research that fills in the gaps of Ashton’s story, and he informs us in an easy to read manner. Even so, there are times when the timeline and story bounces around making things just a little unclear. Maybe it was to help with those transitions, but there seemed to be a lot of repeating – of the same actions to show that pirates do indeed plunder and torture, as well as of other elements and using more words and details than needed for the story.
Overall, I liked and learned from the interwoven historical stories of Ashton and pirates that took me back in time to an earlier Americas.
(I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks!)
I‘m a history fan, particularly the colonial and revolutionary period, as well as, since childhood, a fan of pirates; but I had not heard of this interesting story before. Just the story of Philip Ashton might be interesting, but Flemming takes it to the next level by putting it into context by with a broader history of pirating mainly during its heyday in the early 1700s. As such, it also is a story about pirates, primarily focusing on the hated captains Low and Spriggs and their crews.
My early fascination was from romanticized stories of pirates, and I’d since grown to know it was otherwise. But this book soberly portrays that dirty cruel life, and I enjoyed learning more about it. I was aware of captives and forced service, but not the extent among pirates. I appreciated learning that Ashton was by far not the only one marooned and had to find his way back, his story was just one of the more improbable and definitely more publicized, as the book points out. And I had never heard of the thriving business of logwood (second only to tobacco).
Flemming has done a wonderful job with the research that fills in the gaps of Ashton’s story, and he informs us in an easy to read manner. Even so, there are times when the timeline and story bounces around making things just a little unclear. Maybe it was to help with those transitions, but there seemed to be a lot of repeating – of the same actions to show that pirates do indeed plunder and torture, as well as of other elements and using more words and details than needed for the story.
Overall, I liked and learned from the interwoven historical stories of Ashton and pirates that took me back in time to an earlier Americas.
August 27, 2014
I would like to thank Goodreads because I received this book as a free give away from the Goodreads First Read program.
Based on a document written by Philip Ashton, a fisherman off the coast of Massachusetts, and who was kidnapped (forced) by the pirate Edward Low, it is the story of his abduction, escape, survival alone on a deserted island (really) and eventual rescue.
The book was interesting in that it turned a memoir of sorts into a history. I learned quite a bit about a time in America, and the world, really, that I know very little about. The author references the ‘Golden Age’ of piracy. I don’t know how to take that, since it is clear that pirates spent their time getting drunk, pillaging, ransacking, torturing, and, it cannot be said often enough, getting drunk. How that is a golden age is beyond me, but it did show me that Western barbarity was commonplace far longer than I believed. The book is well researched and though it is incredibly dark and brutal (pirates had ‘contempt for hell itself’), Flemming managed to make it tolerable for me to read. With limited information, he fleshed out how hard it was on the island without tools. He made it seem as if the Scottish man who appeared, left guns and knives then disappeared, was an angel of sorts. In fact, Ashton's minister, John Barnard who was a colleague of Cotton Mather, made Ashton’s story into a narrative. Barnard used this very amazing story as a focal point for major sermon.
Even though the book was occasionally repetitious, with fillers, it was enlightening. Honestly, I think it would make a very good mini series. I cannot fathom how difficult it was to work on a fishing vessel to begin with, but with the constant threat of pirates, it is unimaginable.
Based on a document written by Philip Ashton, a fisherman off the coast of Massachusetts, and who was kidnapped (forced) by the pirate Edward Low, it is the story of his abduction, escape, survival alone on a deserted island (really) and eventual rescue.
The book was interesting in that it turned a memoir of sorts into a history. I learned quite a bit about a time in America, and the world, really, that I know very little about. The author references the ‘Golden Age’ of piracy. I don’t know how to take that, since it is clear that pirates spent their time getting drunk, pillaging, ransacking, torturing, and, it cannot be said often enough, getting drunk. How that is a golden age is beyond me, but it did show me that Western barbarity was commonplace far longer than I believed. The book is well researched and though it is incredibly dark and brutal (pirates had ‘contempt for hell itself’), Flemming managed to make it tolerable for me to read. With limited information, he fleshed out how hard it was on the island without tools. He made it seem as if the Scottish man who appeared, left guns and knives then disappeared, was an angel of sorts. In fact, Ashton's minister, John Barnard who was a colleague of Cotton Mather, made Ashton’s story into a narrative. Barnard used this very amazing story as a focal point for major sermon.
Even though the book was occasionally repetitious, with fillers, it was enlightening. Honestly, I think it would make a very good mini series. I cannot fathom how difficult it was to work on a fishing vessel to begin with, but with the constant threat of pirates, it is unimaginable.
October 8, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Flemming is a good story teller and this book reflects his skill. He took the true story of a fisherman captured by pirates in the early 18th century and wove his narrative into the larger context of piracy in that period, which is the book’s greatest strength. He included a lot of fascinating character details, and one of those which stuck out was how the pirate captain Low would not take married men into his crew. Additionally, Flemming outlines the British harvest of logwood on coastal Honduras and how this was tangentially related to the pirate activities in the area. I also appreciated how he was able to show connections between Ashton’s narrative and the possibility of Defoe reading this account, perchance influencing Robinson Crusoe. His research is solid, with an extensive bibliography and highly informative end notes. However, I was distracted by the abrupt transitions and the repetition of narrative details which had been covered in a previous chapter or paragraph. Also, his timeline sometimes went from a clear and easy to follow sequence to an abrupt change which interrupted the narrative flow. I also think that the book would have benefitted by including more context about the role and origins of piracy in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Flemming only tantalizes by brief mentions of William Kidd and Blackbeard. These negatives do not significantly detract from an overall fascinating and enjoyable reading experience.
September 8, 2014
Very interesting book. A hybrid between a scholarly work on pirates, the life and times of Phlip Ashton - a colonial sailor, and how his tales came down to us 300 years later. It seems at times to take off in the narrative as an adventure novel as the story of Ashton that is the core of the work is quite exciting all by itself, and then at other times the work bogs down into scholarly digressions. There were many subtrips into what the various pirates that impacted Ashton's time with the pirates were doing at various times. A bit of digression in that area would have been interesting - but there were a few more digressions than were needed for an adventure story and weren't quite enough for a scholarly work.
All in all - if you are interested in pirates and about what life might have been like for a sailor who was captured by pirates and impressed into service - then this is a good book for you.
All in all - if you are interested in pirates and about what life might have been like for a sailor who was captured by pirates and impressed into service - then this is a good book for you.
July 28, 2014
3.5/5 ROUNDED UP
I liked this book. ALMOST really liked it.
If you enjoy the American Revolution, maritime history, pirate adventure, or you are from Boston, there's no excuse to not give this relatively slender book a try.
It is a true story, and a true story most people don't know for some reason. I didn't myself. Why don't we know about this guy? Why isn't he talked about?
Easily read. Slightly repetitious. Nice maps and images. Probably great for most dads. Perfect for a History Channel miniseries.
My only complaint, and the reason it is not a solid four star, is because there is a lot of speculation, especially in the beginning. Words used most frequently are: maybe did this, might have, probably was, could have done that. Some of it seems a little assuming, not quite cold hard history. Still great stuff.
4/5
MH
I liked this book. ALMOST really liked it.
If you enjoy the American Revolution, maritime history, pirate adventure, or you are from Boston, there's no excuse to not give this relatively slender book a try.
It is a true story, and a true story most people don't know for some reason. I didn't myself. Why don't we know about this guy? Why isn't he talked about?
Easily read. Slightly repetitious. Nice maps and images. Probably great for most dads. Perfect for a History Channel miniseries.
My only complaint, and the reason it is not a solid four star, is because there is a lot of speculation, especially in the beginning. Words used most frequently are: maybe did this, might have, probably was, could have done that. Some of it seems a little assuming, not quite cold hard history. Still great stuff.
4/5
MH
Read
July 21, 2014This book was a Goodreads giveaway
Gregory Flemming has written a comprehension account of a real-life Robinson Crusoe. Philip Ashton, a Marblehead cod fisherman was captured by pirates and forced to sail with the crew. Surviving danger, deprivations, and a hurricane, Ashton finally makes a break for safety and then is marooned on an island for two years before finally being rescued and returned home.
Anyone interested in the real pirates of the Caribbean would enjoy the book. Flemming’s extensive research imparts a salty favor to the maritime history of the area with well-researched details often contradicting popular belief about piracy. The in depth scholarship makes the book of special interest for a maritime history buff.
Gregory Flemming has written a comprehension account of a real-life Robinson Crusoe. Philip Ashton, a Marblehead cod fisherman was captured by pirates and forced to sail with the crew. Surviving danger, deprivations, and a hurricane, Ashton finally makes a break for safety and then is marooned on an island for two years before finally being rescued and returned home.
Anyone interested in the real pirates of the Caribbean would enjoy the book. Flemming’s extensive research imparts a salty favor to the maritime history of the area with well-researched details often contradicting popular belief about piracy. The in depth scholarship makes the book of special interest for a maritime history buff.
August 2, 2014
I received this book through a Good Reads First Reads give-away. An enjoyable read that centers on the adventures of Philip Ashton, who was captured by pirates in 1722, eventually escapes but then must endure a Robinson Crusoe-like castaway existence on an uninhabited island off the cost of Honduras. The book also explores the fate of the pirate captain that captured Ashton, Edward Low, as well as several other pirate captains associated with Low, and the efforts of a couple of British navy warships attempting to eradicate the pirate menace during the same time period. The narrative is lively and engaging, although I found it a bit repetitive in places. 3.5 stars.
August 19, 2014
I got this book as a first-reads giveaway. This was a fascinating book. It primarily followed one man who was captured by pirates, escaped, and barely survived to make his way home. Prior to reading this book I didn't realize how dangerous it was, for a few decades, to be a sailor. I'd recommend reading this book. Given that the story mainly followed one man, it was easier to stay engaged than with many histories, but the author also provided a detailed background of the time period that was very valuable.
August 18, 2016
Extremely well-researched and for the most part holds the reader's interest. There are some small scattered grammatical errors, and I personally would have preferred footnotes to endnotes in this case. Although the book is supposedly about Ashton, there is quite a lot of historical context given--which can be both good and bad, and in the case of this book, is both. At times it is helpful and interesting, and at others only serves to distract from the main narrative.
May 31, 2016
Good information,needs better organization.
I read this because our family's reunion will include a pirate tour for fun. I've learned that piracy was gruesome, calculated murder, anything but fun. I wish the author had written the details in a more understandable order. Some facts were repeated, which leaves the reader confused. Definitely needs more revision.
I read this because our family's reunion will include a pirate tour for fun. I've learned that piracy was gruesome, calculated murder, anything but fun. I wish the author had written the details in a more understandable order. Some facts were repeated, which leaves the reader confused. Definitely needs more revision.
May 31, 2016
Interesting beyond belief
If you are interested to learn more about the golden age of piracy then this book is for. After reading about piracy in the Caribbean I was look for more than just modern day treasure hunting and found it in this book. I highly recommend this book to any seafaring history buff,of the early days of sail in the United States and Caribbean
If you are interested to learn more about the golden age of piracy then this book is for. After reading about piracy in the Caribbean I was look for more than just modern day treasure hunting and found it in this book. I highly recommend this book to any seafaring history buff,of the early days of sail in the United States and Caribbean
July 27, 2016
This is a fascinating retelling of the first-person account of Philip Ashton, an 18th century fisherman captured by pirates. The book portrays the culture of Atlantic piracy, including details of various characters in similar stories. unfortunately, the author repeats stories multiple times, often with the same phrasing. it is a quick read, and highly informative.
February 27, 2015
Good book on the life of pirates.
September 1, 2014
This is an enjoyable and enlightening read. My only major beef is that the editing wasn't great.
July 10, 2016
I really enjoyed this book!
August 26, 2015
BORING! This could've been a great book. The story was all there but it was so dry and went off on too many tangents. Made it about half way through before giving up.
September 15, 2016
Caught my eye because my maiden name is Ashton. I love history & this was new history to me, therefore, I enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews