Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate - Hardcover

Konstam, Angus

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 047175885X ISBN 13: 9780471758853

Publisher: Trade Paper Press, 2006

Synopsis

A thorough, exciting examination of 18th-century pirate life, with wonderful details.
--Publishers Weekly

"Interesting and exciting . . . a thoroughly enjoyable chronicle of an interesting life and interesting era."
--Booklist

The definitive biography of history's most fearsome and famous pirate

Of all the colorful cutthroats who scoured the seas in search of plunder during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early eighteenth century, none was more ferocious or notorious than Blackbeard. As unforgettable as his savage career was, much of Blackbeard's life has been shrouded in mystery--until now.

Drawing on vivid descriptions of Blackbeard's attacks from his rare surviving victims, pirate expert Angus Konstam traces Blackbeard's career from its beginnings to his final defeat in a tremendous sea battle near his base at Ocracoke Island. Presenting dramatic accounts of the pirate's very effective tactics and his reputation for cruelty, Konstam offers a fascinating examination of the life and business of piracy and the lure of this brutal and bloody trade.

About this title

About the Author

Angus Konstam is a widely published author who has written several books on piracy, including "The History of Pirates." A former naval officer and museum professional, he worked as a curator of weapons in the Tower of London and as the chief curator in the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida, before becoming a full-time historian and writer. An expert on weapons, shipwrecks, and piracy, he has advised several underwater archaeological groups (including the team working on Blackbeard's sunken flagship), and appears regularly on both the Discovery and the History channels. He now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

From the Back Cover

"Angus Konstam successfully combines a vivid account of a famous pirate with a richly detailed survey of his turbulent and brutal world."
--David Cordingly, author of "Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates"

"Angus Konstam's "Blackbeard" is more than the story of one pirate, much more. Konstam paints a wide canvas of Blackbeard and his life and times, of the whole sordid and frightening world of piracy. With writing that is at once elegant and accessible, he explores the rise of the 'Golden Age' of piracy, illustrating how simple merchant sailors and privateersmen could be drawn into the most bloody profession of all, and become enemies of the world. Using the pirate Blackbeard as a starting point, Konstam gives the reader a broad understanding of the world of 17th century piracy, from the lives of the men who sailed under the black flag to those who tried to stop them. "Blackbeard" is a great read - informed, scholarly, thorough, accurate and fun."
--James L. Nelson, author of the "Brethren of the Coast" Trilogy and "Benedict Arnold's Navy"

From the Inside Flap

"Imagination cannot form an idea of a Fury, from hell, to look more frightful."
--Captain Charles Johnson

Six loaded pistols dangled from his shoulder sling. Beneath a cocked fur cap, lighted candles sprouted from a bramble of whiskers the color of midnight. And the eyes. Wild, fierce, and malevolent, they haunted the memories of those few who were lucky enough to survive their piercing gaze.

Of all the colorful cutthroats who scoured the seas in search of plunder during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early eighteenth century, none was more ferocious or notorious than Blackbeard (who probably went by the name of Edward Teach). Nearly three centuries after his death his name is still synonymous with piracy. Not content with becoming the scourge of the Caribbean, this brutal and fearless hell-raiser then sailed north to strike terror in the hearts of American colonists from New York to the Carolinas.

As unforgettable as his savage career was, much of Blackbeard's life has been shrouded in mystery--until now. Who was this remarkable sea dog? Did he hail from Bristol, in England, or were his roots in colonial America? How did he rise from being an ordinary seaman to become the archetypal pirate? At a time when captured pirates were either hanged by the cartload or offered full pardons by colonial governors if they surrendered, what gave Blackbeard the audacity to blockade the port of Charleston, South Carolina, and remain defiant to the last?

Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate traces Teach's career from the time he went to sea to his final defeat in a tremendous sea battle near his base at Ocracoke Island. Pirate expert Angus Konstam follows in Blackbeard's bloody wake through the Caribbean and describes his encounters with many others in the trade, especially at Benjamin Hornigold's "pirate school" in the Bahamas. He also reveals how Teach assembled the most powerful pirate fleet of his day and examines his fateful alliance with the "gentleman pirate" Stede Bonnet.

Drawing on vivid descriptions of Blackbeard's attacks from his rare surviving victims, Konstam presents dramatic accounts of the pirate's very effective tactics as well as his reputation for cruelty. Angus also examines the life and business of piracy, explains the lure of the trade, and reveals how contraband played an important part in the establishment of colonial America's fragile community.

Tales of Blackbeard and his exploits have entertained readers ever since his death. In real life, however, a run-in with this fearsome pirate was no laughing matter. After reading Blackbeard, you'll count yourself lucky to have avoided experiencing the Golden Age of Piracy for yourself!

Reviews

Konstam, the Scottish author of more than 50 maritime history books here explores the dreaded Blackbeard, "the archetypal pirate of the age...and one of the most fearsome figures around." Konstam makes a thorough, exciting examination of 18th century pirate life, with wonderful details such as the pirates' code, which can read as a precursor to America's own Bill of Rights: "Every man has a Vote in Affairs of Monument, has equal Title to the fresh Provisions, or strong Liquors, at any Time seized & use them at pleasure." However, the author's portrait of the seadog fails for two reasons: first, very little is known about Blackbeard, and Konstam hasn't been able to uncover much that's new; "we must assume" becomes a frequent, frustrating qualifier when the book focuses on its subject. Secondly, Konstram is fond of cliches: a ruler's power base collapses "like a house of cards" while another is able to "walk the political tightrope;" and the feared pirate himself "would stop at nothing to get what he wanted." The padding necessary to produce a lengthy version of Blackbeard's story produces a work that has little of the dash and derring-do readers will expect from the biography of a pirate, and ends up painting Blackbeard less as a terror of the high seas than a bully with a big boat. Illustrations.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The so-called golden age of pirates (roughly, the first two decades of the eighteenth century) still conjures up images of tough, hardy, colorful rogues who chose to live outside the bounds of conventional society. Perhaps the best known of the pirates was Edward Teach, better known to contemporaries and to history as Blackbeard. Konstam is a former naval officer and marine archaeologist who has written extensively on piracy. He has provided an interesting and exciting biography of an enigmatic figure who defies easy categorization. Konstam does not romanticize Blackbeard, or the life of pirates in general. Blackbeard was apparently a ruthless, brutal man. He was by no means the most successful pirate, and his string of spectacular "achievements" lasted less than two years. Thankfully, Komstam spares us blather about "pirate honor," but he convincingly maintains that Blackbeard was a compelling figure with great seamanship skills and an audacious temperament, which inspired men to follow him. This is a thoroughly enjoyable chronicle of an interesting life and interesting era. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 047175885X
• ISBN 13: 9780471758853
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336