The History of Pirates

by Angus Konstam, David Cordingly (Introduction)

A wonderful chronicle of thievery, murder, and torture on the high seas, all in a beautiful oversized book.

Genres: History, Pirates, Nonfiction, Historical, Reference, Nautical, American History

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

Angus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and informative book about pirates, well written and easy to read. Would have loved this book in my early teens, was obsessed with pirates history especially the golden age.

[Terry Cornell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in association with the Mariners' Museum in Virginia. The author has a background in maritime history, and has been the curator at various museums. The history covers from ancient times to the present, and is filled with illustrations, maps, and timelines. The book also profiles particular pirates in history. A great overview of piracy through history.

[Ethan Nahté · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the pirate historians and biographers, I place Angus Konstam's work above all others. This book is no exception. Well-written, very informative. Large pages and images, and a very easy read especially when using it as a reference book for writing short stories and novels.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short overview of this historical subject. Good entries on individual persons and the times they lived in. Recommended

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great overall of pirate history, mentioning not only famous pirates, but the whys behind each era's piracy problems. There were also with plenty of illustrations and maps to help supplement the text. This book also addresses many of the misconceptions about pirates, and where some of those misconceptions originated.

However, it wasn't long before all of the history and specific pirates blended together, as it is a little bit of info for large chunks of time. Not to say this is a bad thing, as there is a ton of info overall, and it would be easy to go search out a specific era/pirate and gain a basic understanding, but it made it more difficult to read just straight through.

A part of me wants to rate this book 4 stars, as it really is a great brief overview, but I just didn't enjoy it enough personally. I don't regret reading it, but I'm glad I decided to borrow it first, as I don't actually want to buy it.

[Brian Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book looks at the general history of pirates from well before the Golden Age to current ones. This is the book that every pirate lover must have! You might have read other books by Angus Konstam, and yes, much of what you read here is repeated but this book is his first on pirates and what inspired him to keep writing on the topic. Be warned, if all you want to read about is Blackbeard and the other handful of "famous" pirates from the Golden Age you might be a bit disappointed. If you want to learn about all pirates from around the world and throughout history to get a better appreciation for the topic, you will be absolutely thrilled like I was to read this.

[Joseph Raborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of the history of pirates across the globe from the ancient world to modern times. I wish that it was more rich in detail, but the facts and history it recounts were so enthralling that I read it in three sittings. The pirates in the book ranged from people whose careers lasted but a year to pirate kingdoms in India and China whose reigns lasted decades. A great book for people not familiar with how widespread piracy was, it recounts the major pirates, the great privateer heroes, and the naval heroes who were involved in suppressing piracy.

[Quinesia Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a fair amount of juicy pirate information, but not enough, hence the three stars. They give a lot of individual pirates' histories and accounts, and some geographical sections, and a bit on clothing, plunder, and firearms. There were a few nuggets of interesting information from these.
But by all means, give it a try.

[Adam Falkenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at pirate history and the characters who played major roles in that history, as well as a short section on modern piracy. Include rules of pirate conduct and weapons and clothing used.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really informative read about all things pirate. The art works were great too, with the exceptions of the reversed colors on many of the maps. Not sure how that made it through the editing process, but I would still recommend it to anyone who is interested. Thank you.

[Belle Meade School]

910.45

[Luru · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Informative but a bit dry (as most non-fiction books laden with history are), unless you're very interested in the topic.

[Bill Zodanga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note, this 3 star rating is based on my memories of this book, and since I probably read this book within the past 3 years I would say my memory isn't what it used to be. :-( I recall reading and really liking it, and even kept the book to read again in the future (something I only do with good, or otherwise significant books). The memories of an old man are sometimes faulty so this may really be somewhere between 2.5 to 4.5 stars, instead of the 3 I gave it. Once I re-read the book I will update this rating/review to more accurately reflect my thoughts.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so I've been dipping in and out of this book for a few months now. It's a very good reference book and gives a completely different approach to the word 'pirate' and the images that word creates.

There are lots of useful images that show how sea goers have designed and redesigned boats to sit the needs of piracy. There is a treasure trove of information in this book that kids will enjoy too.

The information in this book comes thick and fast so it's not easy to take it all in. That said, as a reference book it is brilliant and a good addition to any bookshelf.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to use as an overall general resource, although, the problem with the book is that Konstam does not include any citations within the book. This would have been an excellent scholarly source, however, the primary source requirements just do not fit. Still, I did very much enjoy reading through the book, it is a great overview of piracy as a whole with brief biographies about the most famous pirates and places.

[Tone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yarrr. The pictures be nice.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art work, good info on the main "characters" of the era.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously cool stuff. A whole culture of sanctioned robbery on the high seas... it's insane! Although, I do have to admit, I skipped the chapter on Weapons. Just too much Machisimo for me!

[Tereza · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit chaotic

[Kris Raah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Entertaining and it gave a thorough history.

[Winston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book.