This book tells, in beautifully illustrated detail, the full story of piracy from its origins in the 16th century to the last great piratical wave in the early 19th century. It explores the lives of well-known buccaneers who carried out their raids under the protection of the English crown and the privateers that were relied on by the American Navy during the American Revolution to disrupt British shipping between England and the rebellious colonies. Other subjects covered include the ships, weaponry used, codes of ...
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This book tells, in beautifully illustrated detail, the full story of piracy from its origins in the 16th century to the last great piratical wave in the early 19th century. It explores the lives of well-known buccaneers who carried out their raids under the protection of the English crown and the privateers that were relied on by the American Navy during the American Revolution to disrupt British shipping between England and the rebellious colonies. Other subjects covered include the ships, weaponry used, codes of behaviour and the lives of the colourful characters that roamed the high seas searching for plunder.
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Seller's Description:
Angus McBride. Very Good. Published Without Dust Jacket. 4to-over 9¾"-12" tall. 196 pp. Tightly bound. Corners not bumped. Text is free of markings. No ownership markings. Published without a dust jacket. Printed boards. This copy is smyth sewn. Smyth sewing is a method of bookbinding where groups of folded pages (referred to as signatures) are stitched together using binder thread. Each folded signature is sewn together individually with multiple stitches and then joined with other signatures to create the complete book block. This is the traditional and best method of bookbinding.
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Seller's Description:
McBride, Angus. Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Sewn binding. 191 p. Contains: Illustrations. Special Editions (Osprey). Audience: General/trade. Book condition: fine. DJ condition: no dj. Interior pages are clean. Tight binding and sharp cornered. Profusely illustrated.
This is a collection of three Konstam titles on pirates smooshed together into one book. While it is not an exhaustive treatment of the subject of pirates, it is surprisingly crammed with info that is hard to locate elsewhere. And I know, as I have read several books about pirates and I keep coming back to this one as a kind of almanac. The three volumes in one are Buccaneers 1620-1700, Pirates 1660-1730 and Privateers and Pirates 1730-1830. The layout and artwork are quite a few steps above the scanty period woodcuts. Original art and maps are provided by Angus McBride, whose color plates are especially worthy of recognition. One bonus that is very unique is that Konstam gives the length of the pirates careers. Surprisingly, most of them had careers as short as a few months, on up to perhaps three years. Most followed the pirating line for about 15-18 months, or the length of a voyage to the Indies and back. So while piracy was a good bit of fun for a while, many just worked as long as it took to get a stake to buy some farmland or retire. St. Mary?s island off of Madagascar was a legendary pirate retirement community, though it seems to have taken on a sort of Camelot-like aura that it does not entirely deserve. Then again, if you pushed your luck too long, there was a chance your career came to an abrupt end. Scurvy, gangrene and other diseases took their toll. You might be unlucky enough to be captured by the law and hanged for the entertainment of the crowd. And then, too, your whole lifestyle may become outdated by the invention of the steam engine and metal-hulled ships. Early on, Konstam tells us that ?the aim of this book is to strip away the glamour and myth, allowing the true nature of piracy to be revealed. Instead of a life of romantic glamour, with crews led by aristocratic swashbuckling heroes, the average pirate was a doomed man, lacking the education, abilities and pragmatism to escape his inevitable fate. A pirate?s life was usually nasty, brutish, and short.? Well, sorry Konstam, but we can?t help it. It?s a pirate?s life for me, yo ho.