The Pirates of the New England Coast 1630-1730

by George Francis Dow, John Henry Edmonds

"Why did men go a-pirating, or 'on the account' as the pirates called it? The sailors said it was few ships and many men, hard work and small pay, long voyages, bad food and cruel commanders." — Introduction
Whatever their reasons, large numbers of pirates plied the waters off the coast of New England on the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, plundering merchant vessels and often inflicting grievous injuries on captains, passengers, and crews.
Now the grim saga of these maritime marauders comes to life in the pages of this meticulously researched study. Drawing on detailed information from documents in state archives, admiralty records, printed reports of trials, articles from contemporary newspapers and other sources, these accounts recall the infamous exploits of a murderous band of the notorious William Kidd; George Lowther, who captured 33 vessels in 17 months; Charles Harris, who was hanged at Newport with 25 of his crew; John Phillips, who became a pirate and died a gentleman; John Quelch and his crew, who were hanged at Boston and their gold distributed; as well as the sinister doings of Ned Low, Thomas Tew, Samuel Bellamy, William Fly, and others.
Enhanced with nearly 50 contemporary engravings and rare maps, this exciting narrative will fascinate maritime history buffs and any lover of thrilling real-life adventure on the high seas.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Pirates, American History

496 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1993

About the author

George Francis Dow (January 7, 1868 – June 5, 1936) was an American antiquarian for the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, active in Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in Pirates....this is pretty close to home for anyone living near the coast of New England....a must read....Ned Low terrorized the waters near my home island of Nantucket as well as north to Maine and south to the Caribbean. Read it and have nightmares.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was originally published by the Marine Research Society, Salem, Massachusetts, in 1923. and contains extensive, and at times lengthy, quotes from various documents dated between the years 1630 - 1730. As such, it has a dry scholarly feel to it. The chapter(s) on Ned Low were very interesting. On the cover is Edward Tech (aka Blackbeard) and why he is on the cover makes little sense, as he was not a New England pirate. All-in-all, the dated and dry scholarly writing style made it a bit difficult to settle into, but once achieved, it was rich with detail. If you wish to know all about New England pirates, you cant go much wrong here. ;-)

[A. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read this but I just couldn't get excited about it.