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July 2007 features
books and links about
Pirates |
Pirate History
- A
general history of the robberies and murders of the most notorious
pirates
by Daniel Defoe
364.164 Def
An instantaneous bestseller when it first appeared in 1724, its racy
accounts ensuring the historical notoriety of such renegade seamen as
the infamous Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, Dafoe's dramatic chronicle
of robbery and murder on the high seas has continued to fire the
imagination of reader and writers alike for more than two centuries.
- The
pirates
by Douglas Botting and the editors of Time-Life books
910.4 Bot
From the Seafarers series. Provides a well-illustrated
history of pirates.
- The
republic of pirates : being the true and surprising story of the
Caribbean pirates and the man who brought them down
by Colin Woodard
910.45 Wod
In the early eighteenth century a number of the
great pirate captains joined forces, including Blackbeard, Black
Sam Bellamy, and Charles Vane. This infamous "Flying
Gang" was more than simply a band of thieves: Many of its
member were sailors, indentured servants, and runaway slaves who
turned to piracy as a revolt against the conditions they suffered
on ships and plantations. Together they established a crude but
distinctive democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone
of freedom in which servants were free, blacks could be equal
citizens, and leaders were chosen or deposed by a vote.
Drawing on extensive research in the archives of Britain and the
Americas, the author tells the dramatic untold story of the Pirate
Republic that shook the very foundations of the British and
Spanish Empires and fanned the democratic sentiments that would
one day drive the American Revolution.
- The
pirates Laffite : the treacherous world of the corsairs of the
Gulf
by William C. Davis
920 Dav
Jean and Pierre Laffite's lives were intertwined with the most
colorful period in New Orleans' history, the era from just after
the Louisiana Purchase through the War of 1812. Labeled as
corsairs and buccaneers for methods that bordered on piracy, the
brothers ran a privateering cooperative that provided contraband
goods for to a hungry market and made life hell for Spanish
merchants on the Gulf.
- The
pirate hunter : the true story of Captain Kidd
by Richard Zacks
921 Kidd
Captain Kidd has gone down in history as America's most ruthless
buccaneer, fabulously rich, burying dozens of treasure chests up
and down the eastern seaboard. But it turns out that most
everyone, even many respected scholars, have the story all wrong.
Captain William Kidd was no career cut-throat; he was a tough,
successful New York sea captain who was hired to chase pirates.
His three-year odyssey aboard the aptly named Adventure galley
pitted him against arrogant Royal Navy commanders, jealous East
India Company captains, storms, starvation, angry natives, and,
above all, flesh-and-blood pirates.
- Pirates
and privateers of the Caribbean
by Jenifer Marx
972.9 Har
The historical facts about pirates in the Caribbean are far more
fascinating than the clichés of pirate lore perpetuated by
writers of fiction and Hollywood film makers. The factual
content of this book was researched in the major libraries of
England, France, Italy, Spain, and the United States.
- In
pirate waters
by Richard Wheeler
973.5 Whe
Tells the little known story of Captain David Porter who
spearheaded the U.S. Navy's war against piracy in the years
between 1800 and 1825. In a career filled with action,
adventure, and controversy, Porter proved himself to be one of the
most daring and colorful figures the Navy has ever produced.
Fiction
- Captain Blood
by Rafael Sabatini
F Sab
During the tumultuous reign of James II, Englishman
Peter Blood, a gentleman-physician, barely escapes the gallows after
his arrest for treating a wounded rebel. Sentenced to ten years of
slavery on a Barbados plantation, Blood escapes from captivity and
boldly embarks on a career as a pirate, never losing sight of his
goals of clearing his name and returning to England. A
rollicking tale of piracy on a grand scale, accented with breathtaking
maritime maneuvers, near misses, and broadside hits, Sabatini's
fast-paced novel is alive with color, romance, and excitement. A
swashbuckling classic that brims with stolen treasure and adventure on
the high seas, Captain Blood quickly became a best-seller after it was
first published in 1922.
- Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson
F Ste
The most popular pirate story ever written in English, featuring
one of literature’s most beloved “bad guys,” Treasure Island
has been happily devoured by several generations of boys—and
girls—and grownups. Its unforgettable characters include: young
Jim Hawkins, who finds himself owner of a map to Treasure Island,
where the fabled pirate booty is buried; honest Captain Smollett,
heroic Dr. Livesey, and the good-hearted but obtuse Squire
Trelawney, who help Jim on his quest for the treasure; the
frightening Blind Pew, double-dealing Israel Hands, and seemingly
mad Ben Gunn, buccaneers of varying shades of menace; and, of
course, garrulous, affable, ambiguous Long John Silver, who is one
moment a friendly, laughing, one-legged sea-cook . . .and the next
a dangerous pirate leader!
Graphic Novels
- Isaac
the pirate. 1, To exotic lands
Isaac
the pirate. 2, The capital
by Christophe Blain
741.5944 Bla
Publishers Weekly - The story is an
intriguing mixture of na vet and sophistication. Isaac is a young,
talented painter in pre-Revolution France. He lives with the
beautiful Alice and dreams of making enough money from his art to
marry her. But he leaves her to go on a sea voyage, not so much
because it offers good wages but because it promises to show him
new things to draw. He soon learns his captain isn't just a
pirate; he wants to become famous by sailing to the South Pole.
Alice, meanwhile, tries to remain true to Isaac while struggling
with poverty and dealing with the attentions of a handsome though
featherheaded admirer, Philip. Yet complicated doings are afoot in
Blain's story, as the characters grapple with dangerous concerns,
sometimes behaving like grownups, sometimes like overgrown
children. The pirate captain's vainglorious megalomania, Isaac's
single-minded devotion to his art, Alice's faithfulness, Philip's
romantic excesses-all these are adult passions that can be
expressed childishly. And like all such emotions, they have
consequences. Keeping readers off balance, Blain's mix of
naturalism and cartoonyness creates a story of surprising depth.
Films
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