Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates - Softcover

Cordingly, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 081297722X ISBN 13: 9780812977226

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006

Synopsis

“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

About this title

Review:

Though literature, films, and folklore have romanticized pirates as gallant seaman who hunted for treasure in exotic locales, David Cordingly, a former curator at the National Maritime Museum in England, reveals the facts behind the legends of such outlaws as Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, and Calico Jack. Even stories about buried treasure are fictitious, he says, yet still the myth remains. Though pirate captains were often sadistic villains and crews endured barbarous tortures, were constantly threatened with the possibility of death by hanging, drowning in a storm, or surviving a shipwreck on a hostile coast, pirates are still idealized. Cordingly examines why the myth of the romance of piratehood endures and why so few lived out their days in luxury on the riches they had plundered.

From the Inside Flap:

sing, revisionist history, the former head of exhibitions at England's National Maritime Museum has combed original documents and records to produce a most authoritative and definitive account of piracy's "Golden Age." As he explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking the plank" is pure fiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth that is more complex and often bloodier. 16 pp. of photos. Maps.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 081297722X
• ISBN 13: 9780812977226
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336