Download PDF Under the Black Flag The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates David Cordingly 8601404531361 Books
Download PDF Under the Black Flag The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates David Cordingly 8601404531361 Books
Download As PDF : Under the Black Flag The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates David Cordingly 8601404531361 Books
“This is the most authoritative and highly literate account of these pernicious people that I have ever read.”—Patrick O'Brian
“[A] wonderfully entertaining history of pirates and piracy . . . a rip-roaring read . . . fascinating and unexpected.”—Men's Journal
This rollicking account of the golden age of piracy is packed with vivid history and high seas adventure. David Cordingly, an acclaimed expert on pirates, reveals the spellbinding truth behind the legends of Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Sir Francis Drake, the fierce female brigands Mary Read and Anne Bonny, and others who rode and robbed upon the world's most dangerous waters. Here, in thrilling detail, are the weapons they used, the ships they sailed, and the ways they fought—and were defeated. Under the Black Flag also charts the paths of fictional pirates such as Captain Hook and Long John Silver. The definitive resource on the subject, this book is as captivating as it is supremely entertaining.
Praise for Under the Black Flag
“[A] lively history . . . If you've ever been seduced by the myth of the cutlass-wielding pirate, consider David Cordingly's Under the Black Flag.”—USA Today, “Best Bets”
“Engagingly told . . . a tale of the power of imaginative literature to re-create the past.”—Los Angeles Times
“Entirely engaging and informative . . . a witty and spirited book.”—The Washington Post Book World
“Plenty of thrills and adventure to satisfy any reader.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
Download PDF Under the Black Flag The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates David Cordingly 8601404531361 Books
"I enjoyed this book a great deal, not only for its well-researched historical content, but for the way the author illuminates how the realities of the Golden Age of Piracy inspired and differed from popular fiction and film. The author covers a great deal of ground here, relating the real-life stories of some of the most famous historical pirates, like Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, Mary Read and more. There was a chapter devoted to female pirates, which I quite appreciated. There's a lot of information here, presented in a pleasant, easy to read style. The downside to that is the fact that some information seems a bit jumbled together, in a flow-of-consciousness manner. But this is a forgivable offense, given the sheer quantity (and quality) of information. Moreover, I found it a highly enjoyable and satisfying read. I recommend the book to anyone looking to learn more about the Golden Age of Piracy."
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Tags : Under the Black Flag The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates [David Cordingly] on . <b>“This is the most authoritative and highly literate account of these pernicious people that I have ever read.”—Patrick O'Brian</b> <b>“[A] wonderfully entertaining history of pirates and piracy . . . a rip-roaring read . . . fascinating and unexpected.”— Men's Journal</i></b> This rollicking account of the golden age of piracy is packed with vivid history and high seas adventure. David Cordingly,David Cordingly,Under the Black Flag The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates,Random House Trade Paperbacks,081297722X,Caribbean West Indies - General,General,Military - Naval,Pirates,Pirates.,Pirates;History.,General Adult,HISTORY / Caribbean West Indies / General,HISTORY / General,HISTORY / Maritime History Piracy,HISTORY / Military / Naval,HISTORY / Modern / 17th Century,HISTORY / Modern / 18th Century,History,History - General History,Military,Non-Fiction,blackbeard;history;pirates;piracy;maritime;caribbean;nautical;maritime history;18th century;17th century;naval history;sailing;reference;adventure;sea;crime;seafaring;historical;naval;age of sail;ships;culture;early modern;research;anne bonny;modern history;history books;nonfiction books;historical non fiction;cultural history;society;social history;non fiction;social studies;history book;historical non fiction books;non fiction history books;books about history;books about history for adults,history; pirates; piracy; maritime; maritime history; caribbean; nautical; 18th century; 17th century; naval history; sailing; reference; adventure; sea; crime; seafaring; historical; naval; ships; age of sail; culture; early modern; modern history; anne bonny; mary read; research; history books; nonfiction books; historical non fiction; cultural history; society; social history; non fiction; social studies; history book; historical non fiction books; non fiction history books; books about history; books about history for adults,HISTORY / Maritime History Piracy,HISTORY / Military / Naval,HISTORY / Modern / 17th Century,HISTORY / Modern / 18th Century,History - General History,Military,History
Under the Black Flag The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates David Cordingly 8601404531361 Books Reviews :
Under the Black Flag The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates David Cordingly 8601404531361 Books Reviews
- Under The Black Flag is an easy to read book with smooth transitions between chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific pirate topic that is explained in an easy to understand way, without boring the reader with unnecessary details. Mr. Cordingly does a wonderful job at transporting the reader back to the gold age of piracy. The author explains the life of these characters by exploring with historic events all the way from how a person decided to become a pirate to how piracy was brought to an end. This book covers famous pirates such Kidd and Blackbeard, but only enough to provide a general understanding of these characters and this is great for a reader like me - who is new to the topic. I was pleasantly surprised to learn certain details about pirates that I thought had been made up by Hollywood, but now I feel I can enjoy pirate movies and shows better. Under the Black Flag answered a lot of questions I had about pirates and their lifestyle and now I am more fascinated by them than before reading the book. I strongly recommend this book if you have any interest whatsoever in the topic.
- I enjoyed this book a great deal, not only for its well-researched historical content, but for the way the author illuminates how the realities of the Golden Age of Piracy inspired and differed from popular fiction and film. The author covers a great deal of ground here, relating the real-life stories of some of the most famous historical pirates, like Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, Mary Read and more. There was a chapter devoted to female pirates, which I quite appreciated. There's a lot of information here, presented in a pleasant, easy to read style. The downside to that is the fact that some information seems a bit jumbled together, in a flow-of-consciousness manner. But this is a forgivable offense, given the sheer quantity (and quality) of information. Moreover, I found it a highly enjoyable and satisfying read. I recommend the book to anyone looking to learn more about the Golden Age of Piracy.
- I was hoping this would be more factual (I got it to help with research with a period piece I'm writing). The first chapter is more about the media written pirate and contrasting it to the reality. But it fails to give much of any real information. I'm about halfway done and the chapters carry more as you go on. If you're looking for a wide view history then this book is good. If you're looking for just facts you should make this one your second choice. His writing though is fast paced and intriguing. Definitely a good read no matter what.
- While Cordingly is clearly an excellent writer, there are a couple of things with which I struggled here. The primary one is at least a bit objective, while I am admittedly subjective in the second. First- If you read this book you get the distinct impression that each chapter was written independently, without consideration that they would be compiled into a book. The amount of redundancy tells us all we need to know about that. If the work was planned as a whole, the same facts would not surface 6-8 times.
Secondly, you really have to be infected with a form of pirate-mania to want to hear endless details about every "important?" pirate book, play, or movie ever made. For me, that was just over the top. Who cares about detailed plot lines, who the actors were, and endless minutia? To be fair, the descriptions of the book, as well as the reference to "The Romance" in the title, indicates that we have not been duped - this subject would be part of the text. Personally I had no use for it. But of course since each chapter is essentially its own self-contained college term paper, not having been built on a previous one in any great sense, you can just skip ahead. Or at least go to a place where it stops talking about the media-created "pirates".
These not-so-small nits aside, you really do learn, via the authors research of public records, what pirates were all about. The book is an easy read. It would be great to get into modern-day piracy, but that would be another book because there is no way to dovetail that with this work that describes what might be called the hey-day of piracy.
. - There's tons of quality information to be had here, and you can tell the author does his best to bring the information he's gleaned from judicial summaries, shipping report, and testimonials to life. However, the tale he weaves is incredibly meandering, so that most chapters don't seem to have any real cohesive subject, and the chapters bounce back and forth so that the book as a whole doesn't move forward in any sort of logical or chronological manner. And unfortunately, whether due to the author's style or the limited research materials, the final product comes across as rather dry, and for lack of a better word, boring. Recommended for the pirate enthusiast, but don't expect to be riveted to your chair during the read.
- This was my first book on the topic of a pirates, but compared to others I've read since, it's a difficult read.
The author is clearly qualified to write such a book from an academic standpoint, but I question the formatting of the book and the overall writing style. By jumping around in the timeline of history and fiction, it felt a little frantic. I often times felt the need to go back to earlier parts of the book for context. What I found most helpful about it is that the content piqued by interest in more specific topics that I could concentrate on in subsequent reading.
All said, the information is solid, but may not keep every reader engaged.
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