My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805
From back cover:
In 1803 the American warship USS Philadelphia ran aground in Tripoli harbor, and the Barbary pirates captured three hundred U. S. sailors and marines. Faced with a hostage crisis and a war, President Thomas Jefferson made the bold decision to authorize a secret mission to overthrow the government of Tripoli. The operation leader, William Eaton, with...more
In 1803 the American warship USS Philadelphia ran aground in Tripoli harbor, and the Barbary pirates captured three hundred U. S. sailors and marines. Faced with a hostage crisis and a war, President Thomas Jefferson made the bold decision to authorize a secret mission to overthrow the government of Tripoli. The operation leader, William Eaton, with...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
2005
by Hyperion
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
714)
"The Pirate Coast" chronicles America's first attempt at regime change. Results, as always, were mixed. Despite the obscurity of this mission, readers will find many of the circumstances and events to be quite familiar. Let's just say that history does tend to repeat itself.
Mr. Zacks style is, as always, engaging and readable. He makes no obvious effort at comedy, yet the absurdity of several situations are nearly laugh-out-loud.
For me, the most interesting less...more
Mr. Zacks style is, as always, engaging and readable. He makes no obvious effort at comedy, yet the absurdity of several situations are nearly laugh-out-loud.
For me, the most interesting less...more
An absolutely wonderful read by Richard Zacks (author of The Pirate Hunter, another great read). Zacks tells the story of Captain William Eaton and the first authorized black operation of the United States government in 1805 against the Bashir of Tripoli and the Barbary pirates. Once again Zacks never ceases to impress me with his research, insight, and storytelling ability. This book is a must read for anyone in the USMC, as it sheds light on the early history of the Corps. A great read fro...more
My expectations for unabridged audio books are that they keep me engaged as I drive through the midwest. Those of you who have ever driven through the midwest will understand that doing so can be a bit tedious to say the least, so the prospect of having a dude or dude-ette read me a ripping good yarn goes a long way toward maintaining sanity behind the wheel. I lean toward historical non-fiction because it's always been my cup of tea, though I'm equally happy with John Grisham/Stephen King/J.K...more
view 1 comment
A well-written history focusing on the time period and cast of characters surrounding the first Barbary war. This war started with an American ship running aground near Tripoli, followed by the capture and enslavement of the crew by the ruler of Tripoli, and then after many political and military maneuvers, the signing of a treaty in 1805. This all took place during Thomas Jefferson's presidency, and was an early test of the resolve and fortitude of both the administration and the fledgling US...more
3.5 really. The text alternated between thrilling, fascinating, and mind-numbingly boring. The irony at times was stunning--Christian slaves of Muslim pirates while we held black slaves back in the states, Middle Eastern terrorism and the U.S. unilaterally fighting it, etc.
The story introduced me to the tragic figure of William Eaton (any relation to Mark Eaton, the very large and hairy center that played for the Utah Jazz in the '80's?). He was right and Jefferson was wrong, and ...more
The story introduced me to the tragic figure of William Eaton (any relation to Mark Eaton, the very large and hairy center that played for the Utah Jazz in the '80's?). He was right and Jefferson was wrong, and ...more
This book is an impressive work of scholarship. Gleaned mostly from primary sources, the author has done an incredible job of research in a chapter in American History that is not often written about and therefore not well known.
William Eaton, a diplomat, is charged by President Jefferson to go to Egypt, recruit an army and dethrone the current pasha of Tripoli by force if necessary. Eaton was to enlist the aid of the Pasha's brother, Hamet. At the same time, Jefferson sent Tobias...more
William Eaton, a diplomat, is charged by President Jefferson to go to Egypt, recruit an army and dethrone the current pasha of Tripoli by force if necessary. Eaton was to enlist the aid of the Pasha's brother, Hamet. At the same time, Jefferson sent Tobias...more
This was a fascinating book about the first "regime change" attempt by the U.S. gov't in the early 1800s by Thomas Jefferson's administration. Plagued by Barbary pirates, we attempted to replace the Tripoli shah with his older exiled brother. William Eaton, former rev. war vet, sales to Egypt, finds the brother, marches across 500 miles of Libyan desert, takes Durnya, and then is hung out to dry by Tobias Lear and T.J.
Interesting notes from my recent readings!
...more
Interesting notes from my recent readings!
...more
jankreidler
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history buffs, anyone interested in a ripping yarn
What a hoot! William Eaton was a bulldog who got on the wrong side of T Jeff or we'd be singing songs and visiting monuments about him....history is fickle. Although this is non-fiction, I laughed out loud at this guy's audacity and gumption! His fatal flaw was believing in honor above all else...not too politic! The senario mirrors today's world politics eerily, including a regime change in the Middle East!
This review is for the Audio CD edition.
Despite his name appearing in the title, Thomas Jefferson is a fairly minor figure in this work of history. He and James Madison make a decision to send off the first covert American operation, and then at the end he butts heads with the man who led that self-same operation while never really acknowledging any wrongs he might have done to this man or his mission. The real focus of Zacks' excellent narrative is a largely forgotten figure in Am...more
Despite his name appearing in the title, Thomas Jefferson is a fairly minor figure in this work of history. He and James Madison make a decision to send off the first covert American operation, and then at the end he butts heads with the man who led that self-same operation while never really acknowledging any wrongs he might have done to this man or his mission. The real focus of Zacks' excellent narrative is a largely forgotten figure in Am...more
Excellent!
Zacks does an excellent job of not only presenting the history but also conveying the personalities of the players invovled. You get a real feel for the characters, from Captain Bainbridge and his treatment of his crew Eaton's self righteousness and frustration, Tobias Lear's equivocating and rationalizing and Jefferson trying to maintian the best image on the events.
Zacks also has a great sense of humor, his descriptions of the Hamet brothers intrigues, Eaton...more
Zacks does an excellent job of not only presenting the history but also conveying the personalities of the players invovled. You get a real feel for the characters, from Captain Bainbridge and his treatment of his crew Eaton's self righteousness and frustration, Tobias Lear's equivocating and rationalizing and Jefferson trying to maintian the best image on the events.
Zacks also has a great sense of humor, his descriptions of the Hamet brothers intrigues, Eaton...more
The Pirate Coast is an exciting non-fiction tale about a virtually unknown American hero, William Eaton, dispatched by President Jefferson on a Lawrence of Arabia-like quest through the Mediterranean and North Africa. His mission, to combat a Barbary Pirate state defiantly imprisoning over 300 of the country’s sailors, defines his life and changes history, becoming America’s first military incursion in the Middle East. The first two thirds of the book read as an adventure story. The events of Ea...more
An interesting history of US relations with the Barbary Coast (most specifically, Tripoli) during President Jefferson's tenure, focusing on what the book describes as the first covert operation overseas. Operation leader William Eaton was obsessed with his mission from its inception to long after it ended. Parts of US foreign policy in those early days of the republic clearly tell us there is nothing new under the sun.
The Washington Post Book World described the book as "Lively p...more
The Washington Post Book World described the book as "Lively p...more
The Pirate Coast is a fantastic telling of America's first war. It is a wonderfully detailed account of the almost unbelievable adventures of William Eaton and his mostly unsupported and under funded mission through war torn Egypt to find the former Bashaw of Tripoli, recruit an army and trek 500 miles across the desert to unseat the current Bashaw and rescue 300 American sailors held captive as not just prisoners of war, but treated as slaves. It also details the events after the war with Tripo...more
This book was pretty good. This is an incident hardly anyone knows about, but was the inspiration for the Marine line " . . .to the shores of Tripoli". Funny how this piece of history has been largely forgotten and written out of our texts. Basically, the muslims on the Barbary Coast were pirates extorting money from the US and other western nations for tribute in exchange for being left alone by their pirates. This book is about a US boat that was captured, and how the very very e...more
The Pirate Coast was a fascinating historical work. Richard Zacks did a good job at describing the colorful personalities of Eaton, Jefferson, and Lear. This book really succeeded at articulating the determination of Eaton to put Hamet on the throne and free the American sailors held captive by Yussef. The greatest thing the author impressed on me, through reading this book, was the frustration and anger Eaton experienced over the issues that were not satisfactorily resolved by the peace treaty ...more
Okay, I've been reading this book for a few years now. I had gotten bored with it, stopped it and then started it all over again. I've gotten to about the same place and have gotten bored with it again, and have stopped it once more. Not as good as his Captain Kidd book, this book barely takes any notion of piracy at all, in fact, so the title can be misleading. However the story being told is interesting. The characters are often not too likable, which I think hurts it some. As a historical asp...more
Danny M
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
History buffs.
Recommended to Danny by:
lucky guess
This book was a pleasant surprise. This historical account of US relations with the Barbary Coast, specifically Tripoli during the time of President Jefferson. The book sheds light into the covert dealings with US politicians in regards to foreign policy and underhanded dealings by US officials. Our founding fathers may not have been as honest as we were lead to believe. The story brings to light the attitude and honesty of the leaders of the Barbary Coast in regards to foreign policy of the...more
Chock full of early american history. Story follows William Eaton, who was trying to pull off some clandestine action in Tripoli on the behalf o the US president. What did I learn? US Marines were a new order and not highly paid or thought of at that time. Most naval officers were teenagers while the naval crews were the old seadogs that did the work and knew what was what. Pres T. Jefferson preferred to dress laid-back instead of as a poofster in his later years. Aaron Burr killed Hamilton in a...more
.."From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli " a verse from "The Marine Corps hymn"....having served proudly in the United States Marine Corps. I was keen to read what the words of the hymn "from the shores of Tripoli " was all about. This book was a great read about President Jefferson sending the Marines to Tripoli to fight the pirates who were attacking our ships. A small new country that took on the Pirates that other countries were afraid to figh...more
It was very well written, with a lot of wit and humor thrown in. The novel was very well researched, and had a large variety of cited sources at the end. However, the author clearly slipped in more than a few personal opinions, and judgments of certain characters throughout the novel. Although these made it more entertaining and amusing to read, the opinions did not contribute to the novel's historical accuracy. They didn't bother me, but would definitely be a negative to other individuals l...more
***Dave Hill
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
American history buffs, naval history buffs, Marine Corp supporters
Shelves:
non-fiction,
audiobook
(Original review of 27 Feb 2006 - http://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2006/02/27/...)
State-sponsored terrorists! Kidnappers! Extortion! Human rights violations! Wishy-washy US and European response! US covert military intervention to enact a regime change! Meddling by self-aggrandizing diplomats! Peace treaties that solve nothing! Betrayed allies! Disgruntled war heroes! Vengeful, dissent-crushing presidents!
If the above sounds like one of those “ripped from the headlines” tales...more
State-sponsored terrorists! Kidnappers! Extortion! Human rights violations! Wishy-washy US and European response! US covert military intervention to enact a regime change! Meddling by self-aggrandizing diplomats! Peace treaties that solve nothing! Betrayed allies! Disgruntled war heroes! Vengeful, dissent-crushing presidents!
If the above sounds like one of those “ripped from the headlines” tales...more
For those who think that American politics have changed a great deal in the last two hundred years, this book may just change your mind.
This book chronicles the attempt of General Eaton to effect the first regime change in American history. Tasked by Thomas Jefferson to locate the Libyan ruler's brother and put him on the throne, Eaton becomes the first American military personnel to mess with the internal workings of another country.
The setting is one that most Americ...more
This book chronicles the attempt of General Eaton to effect the first regime change in American history. Tasked by Thomas Jefferson to locate the Libyan ruler's brother and put him on the throne, Eaton becomes the first American military personnel to mess with the internal workings of another country.
The setting is one that most Americ...more
The story of how, in an effort to stop the Barbary Pirates from hijacking American ships along the coast of North Africa and imprisoning U.S. sailors, William Eaton was sanctioned by President Thomas Jefferson in 1805 to lead a secret mission to Africa to free U.S. hostages being held in Tripoli. Denied official support, because of the covert nature of the mission, Eaton recruited a small band of men including European mercenaries, Arab cavalry, and Bedouin fights to join his core group of men ...more
This is a fast-paced, true story of the United States invasion of Tripoli. From the leaders of Tripoli being angered by heathen Western infidels to the United States using its military to force a regime change, the book amazed me at how history does indeed repeat itself and, sadly, how little progress we've made in the world. In addition, while this book isn't for everyone, if you know someone who is looking for military fiction, or U.S. history with a great story, I would highly recommend this...more
This is a great recount of the why we sing, ". . . to the shores of Tripoli. . . ." in the Marine's Hymn! There are others that tell the story equally well, such as Jefferson's War: America's First War on Terror 1801-1805 by Joseph Wheelan (recommended as a companion read) but what makes this version unique and interesting is the unflinching focus on one central character, William Eaton, while likewise satisfactorily developing a full picture of the other players as well. Not the lea...more
There are two things that should be said about this book to start. First, it is horribly mistitled. The publishers were clearly trying to cash in on the success of Zacks's other book Pirate Hunter. This book has very little to do with pirates and mostly deals with the United States as a fledgling nation and its foreign relations. Second, this book is must-read history and far better than Pirate Hunter.
The book focuses on the First Barbary War--the United States' first war (except...more
The book focuses on the First Barbary War--the United States' first war (except...more
Well, it took over a year to read this book. It started very slowly, but about half way the pace picked up and I found it to be a satisfying read. Be warned, you need to be a history lover to really enjoy the detail and nuance of this book.
The book centers on William Eaton, a former Army Captain that leads a covert operation to topple the government of the Barbary Pirates. Along the way you get a good glance at how the government of the day, headed by President Jefferson, operated...more
The book centers on William Eaton, a former Army Captain that leads a covert operation to topple the government of the Barbary Pirates. Along the way you get a good glance at how the government of the day, headed by President Jefferson, operated...more
I expected to get The West Wing c. 1800 but was reminded how little central control the President could exercise over anything, and especially foreign affairs -- in an era of relatively slow communication. Jefferson used this to his advantage as he sent off a mission-centered operative with little risk to his own political capital. His stubborn informal instrument was the central character, a patriot at times heroic and at times sad. Those looking for the good old days of clear victories will...more
Jefferson was president at this time and is vital to the story, but the real 'hero' is Eaton. the telling of his trek through the desert is fascinating. This is a part of American history that I previously knew nothing about. About which I previously knew nothing. It's all told in a gripping and interesting fashion. You had no idea that this is the story of "the shores of Tripoli.." in The Marine Corps Hymn.
Recommended for anyone who has never heard of William Eaton.
Recommended for anyone who has never heard of William Eaton.
Uncanny parallels to current events. I did not know that the first foreign power to declare war on the US was Tripoli (outside the war for independence), or that the Barbary pirates were all Muslim. Of course, I was not a very good student of history. A fascinating chapter of American history that has a strange resonance with current events. Recommended.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GW vs TJ duel? | 1 | 11 | Nov 29, 2008 05:38pm |
Readers Also Enjoyed
Richard Zacks (1955-?) was born in Savannah, Georgia but grew up in New York City. He was a Classical Greek major at the University of Michigan and studied Arabic in Cairo, Italian in Perugia, and French in the vineyards of France.. After completing Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, he wrote a syndicated column for four years carried by the NY Daily News, Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News ...more
More about Richard Zacks...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
