Cindy Vallar's Blog, page 2

Hello, Pirates! Review

Hello, Pirates! by Martha Day Zschock

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The day has come. It’s time to take a grand adventure . . . with pirates! As mateys of the crew, there’s lots to do like swabbing the deck and rigging the sails. Hopefully, a ship will cross our path so we can capture its treasure. Just beware of storms. No matter what lies ahead or where we go, we watch out for one another.

Part of the HELLO! series, this board book is for the youngest pirates. The pictures are big, colorful, expressive, and vibrant. The verses rhyme, providing an entertaining way to learn about pirates and for adults to spend time with their youngsters. Several well-known pirates are included, such as Edward Teach whose depiction inspires awe without being overly fearsome. The crew is inclusive: a pirate captain with a disability, a one-eyed monkey, boys and girls working together to achieve their goals, parrots who learn the ropes and find the treasure map, and a seagull who serves as lookout. Young pirates and their parents will have delightful fun with Hello, Pirates!


(This review was originally posted at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Zschock.html)



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Politics, Economics, & Piracy

The Problem of Piracy in the Early Modern World: Maritime Predation, Empire, and the Construction of Authority at Sea by John Coakley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Recent events demonstrate that politics and economics influence what happens in the world. This includes the ebb and flow of piracy, both now and in the past. Depending on the time and place, states tolerate it until the depredations adversely affect commerce or political objectives. This is when states take action to suppress piracy, although fully eradicating it has yet to occur. The Problem of Piracy in the Early Modern World investigates “the relationship between European states and maritime predation, especially in Asian, Atlantic, and European waters between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries.” (11)

As the editors point out in the introduction, the lack of a clear-cut definition of who is a pirate complicates these issues as well our attempts to study this phenomenon. To counteract this, these essays focus on specific cases in defined areas, such as the Caribbean or Southeast Asia. The book is divided into three sections: Jurisdiction, Practices, and Representations. The first pertains to how states seek to control seafarers and what they do. The second looks at moments in time when those seafarers are deemed to be pirates. The final section involves how the states or pirates themselves see them. As a result, readers comprehend common themes: “the relationship between pirates and states; the numerous and overlapping motivations for maritime predation; and, finally, the ways in which certain sea raiders were rhetorically made into pirates.” (12)

The editors also examine legal attempts to define piracy and how states use pirates to their advantage when it suits their purpose and suppress them when it does not. The disparity in definitions and individual states’ prejudices play roles in this, as shown in Martin Müller’s “Primitive, Peregrinate, Piratical: Framing Southeast Asian Sea-Nomads in Nineteenth-Century Colonial Discourse and Imperial Practice,” and Anna Diamantouli’s “‘Our Affairs with the Pyratical States’: The United States and the Barbary Crisis, 1784-1797.”

Although the essays discuss actions of a state either for or against pirates, the state’s viewpoint is not the only one presented. Individual authors also analyze the seafarers and what they do before looking at the state’s conduct. What becomes apparent in reading these contributions is that discord at sea, commerce, and colonial expansion are intricately interwoven and as such, generate and intensify the factors that lead to piracy. Examples of this are found in Simon Egan’s “Scots, Castilians, and Other Enemies: Piracy in the Late Medieval Irish Sea World,” John Coakley’s “Local Maritime Jurisdiction in the Early English Caribbean,” and Steven J. Pitt’s “Boston, Logwood, and the Rise and Decline of the Pirates, 1713 to 1728.”

Media coverage also impacts how citizens view pirates and their depredations. Cultural bias influences these presentations, as do how the states wish the public to perceive, for good or bad, those responsible. This leads to misleading interpretations and tropes that cause us to either romanticize or demonize pirates, instead of seeing them for who and what they really are. Sometimes, even the pirates themselves influence how we see them. These are aspects discussed in Wim de Winter’s “Pirate Encounters and Perceptions of Southern-Netherlandish Sailors on the North Sea and the Indian Ocean, 1704-1781,” James Rankine’s “Henry Glasby: Atypical Pirate or a Typical Pirate?”, and Rebecca James’s “‘A Fellow! I think, in all Respects, worthy your Esteem and Favour’: Fellowship and treachery in A General History of the Pyrates, 1724-1734.”

This volume is part of the Maritime Humanities, 1400-1800: Cultures of the Sea series, which examines the cultural transitions from land to oceans as regards commerce, exploration, and travel. In addition to the eight essays found within these pages, there are tables and maps, a bibliography, and an index. Each chapter includes an abstract, keywords, footnotes, and its own list of consulted sources, both primary and secondary, as well as the author’s qualifications for writing the chapter. The editors introduce this volume, while Claire Jowitt pens the afterword.

This book aptly demonstrates two key points: one state’s pirates may not be defined as such by another, and that although maritime depredations exist worldwide, western views on what constitute piracy aren’t universal. For example, Müller shows that until Europeans ventured into Asian waters, piracy was “an unknown phenomenon.” (58)

Two of the most fascinating chapters, from this reviewer’s perspective, are Pitt’s and Rankine’s. While logwood often earns mention in most pirate histories, Pitt examines this subject from a different perspective and shows that its ties to Boston play a role in the rise in piracy following the War of the Spanish Succession. During this discourse, he focuses on Blackbeard and Edward Low, and shows how this seaport both facilitates piracy and influences its decline. Henry Glasby, the subject of Rankine’s chapter, is somewhat of a chameleon; the decisions he makes and the actions he takes allow him to survive both his captivity as one of Bartholomew Roberts’s crew and as a crown witness against the men with whom he serves. From his testimony we view how pirate crews work and the complexity of life aboard a pirate ship.

The Problem of Piracy in the Early Modern World is both insightful and compelling. The price is steep for lay readers, but the content is worth the price for those with a keen interest in pirate history and how the world’s understanding of piracy changes depending on global and individual realities at different periods in time and place. It is also highly recommended for academic collections.


This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers (http://www.cindyvallar.com/Coakley-Kw...)



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A Story of the Original Buccaneers

The Tortuga Plantation by James L. Nelson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


With their camp decimated by a hurricane, Jean-Baptiste LeBoeuf leads his fellow boucaniers to the neighboring island of Tortuga. He neither wants nor asks them to follow him, but his occasional spoken words lead others to agree with him. Since he cannot recover the sunken treasure, he is driven to immigrate because of a letter of patent discovered before the shipwreck sinks. He plans to assume the identity of the owner and take possession of the plantation. Beyond that, his plans are unknown.

Henriette de Labonté accompanies him because she’s safer with him than without, but she has no ties to this silent, impulsive, and giant Frenchman. She has a single goal – to return to France – and the sunken treasure will allow her to do this. It is why she keeps her silence . . . for now.

One other man knows of the gold: Hendrick Van Lauwersoog. A former naval officer, this Dutchman is wily and not one to be trusted. Still, he’s promised to remain silent about the treasure . . . for now.

Don Alonso Menéndez de Aviles has dreams and plans for his new life as lieutenant governor, the second highest ranking official in Santo Domingo. He craves wealth and power but is a novice when it comes to Spain’s New World empire, and those who have come before already have their footholds well established. It doesn’t take long for him to realize who his true enemies are, and a riot and the presence of Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, Captain General of King Philip IV’s Ocean Sea Navy, permit him to lay the groundwork to upend his nemesis, the city’s mayor. This scheming also allows him to set in motion a business strategy that involves the lawless island of Tortuga.

The reader soon learns that nothing and no one are as they seem in this second installment of the Blood, Steel & Empire series. Each has secrets, some of which Nelson slowly reveals at key points in the story at just the right time. In doing so, his characters realize that their pasts are never as buried as they think and what happened then influences what unfolds now.

During the 17th century, the boucaniers of Hispaniola are driven from the island where they hunt wild pigs. Some migrate to Tortuga, but the Spanish are keen on keeping out foreigners from their lands. This eventually pushes these boucaniers into piracy and over time, their name becomes anglicized to buccaneers. Nelson weaves a compelling historical novel that demonstrates how and why this shift occurs. His portrayal is historically accurate and the facts are intricately woven into the story in ways that keep the reader from noticing them. He includes maps of Hispaniola and Tortuga, a ship diagram, and a glossary for readers as well.

Intrigue, betrayal, greed, corruption, murder, and battles both on land and at sea abound. Although fiction, The Tortuga Plantation is steeped in reality; readers who are squeamish about blood and guts may want to pass on this story that vividly recreates the Spanish Caribbean of the early 1600s. This is also a tale of power struggles where circumstances make for strange bedfellows; one day a man may be an ally, the next an enemy. Readers soon realize why LeBoeuf prefers to live one day at a time and fully trusts only his mastiff, Other Dog.


This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers (http://www.cindyvallar.com/JLNelson.h...)



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The Resurrected Pirate review

The Resurrected Pirate: The Life, Death, and Subsequent Career of the Notorious George Lowther by Craig S. Chapman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“As for Captain Lowther, it is said, that he afterwards shot himself upon that fatal Island, where his Pyracies ended, being found, by some Sloop’s Men, dead, and a Pistol burst by his Side.”

Captain Charles Johnson wrote those words in the 1726 edition of A General History of the Pyrates. Ever since, even though this book is a blend of fact and fiction, historians have repeatedly stated that the seaman-mutineer-pirate George Lowther committed suicide in 1723. But what if Johnson, and those who came after him, got it wrong?

While researching Disaster on the Spanish Main (Potomac Books, 2021), Chapman repeatedly came across a name in the correspondence of Admiral Edward Vernon. Sometimes, it was written as “Lowther the pirate,” which sufficiently intrigued Chapman to seek more information. He discovered George Lowther did not die in 1723; he renewed his acquaintanceship with Vernon 1739, and offered his services to the admiral in exchange for a royal pardon.

Chapman begins with Lowther marooned on the deserted island with his surviving men, but the story starts long before that. He traces Lowther’s path from the time he serves as second mate aboard Gambia Castle and the discord that leads to mutiny, to his collaboration with Captain-Lieutenant John Massey and their inevitable decision to go on the account. Despite their success at pirating, Massey’s guilt and shame lead to a divergence of their association. A new partnership arises when Lowther and Edward Low cross paths. These two pirates and their crews separate and reunite more than once before Lowther ultimately finds himself on that island where he supposedly commits suicide. Sixteen years pass before the opportunity to erase his past presents itself in a Spanish town on the Spanish Main.

The Resurrected Pirate is not just a pirate tale. It explores motivations and reactions that lead Lowther, Massey, and others to do what they do. It’s a stark and realistic account of pirate life, despite the brief interludes of wealth and partying and doing what one pleases. Sooner or later, consequences result from actions taken, and everyone reacts differently to those consequences as Chapman deftly shows.

Chapter subheadings chronologically outline the times and places of mutiny, greed, and brutality. Although there is some reliance on Captain Johnson’s not-always-reliable book, Chapman fact-checks with more reliable sources and incorporates passages from primary documents to further enlighten. He also has a gift for creating vivid visual comparisons in the readers’ minds, For example, he likens the gun barrels of a warship’s broadside to a big mako shark baring its teeth, or the drudgery of endless paperwork and duty to mud clumped on shoes. The book includes nine maps, a list of known members of Lowther’s Company, a glossary, endnotes, and a bibliography. It is also indexed, but in a smaller font size than the rest of the book.

This account of George Lowther’s life reads like a gripping, edgy novel. Chapman provides the necessary background information to ground the reader. At the same time, he skillfully demonstrates that no pirate works alone, and Lowther’s path is intricately entwined directly and indirectly with Admiral Edward Vernon, the Royal African Company, Captain Chaloner Ogle, Edward Low, Charles Harris, Philip Ashton, Francis Spriggs, and Captain Robert Maynard, among others.

The Resurrected Pirate is enlightening, provocative, and tragic. It doesn’t answer every question – How did Lowther escape the desolate island? and “Who was the dead man left in his place?” – but Chapman deftly shows the falsity of Johnson’s claim of suicide and that historians just accepted that as fact even though documentary evidence proves otherwise. A must-read for anyone interested in pirate history.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Chapman.html)



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Corsairs and Captives Review

Corsairs and Captives: Narratives from the Age of the Barbary Pirates: Narratives from the Age of the Barbary Pirates by Adam Nichols

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


He serves in the English navy, but rumors lead him on a path of piracy. No longer welcome in his homeland, he heads to Tunis. A single haul labels him the most successful corsair there, and pamphlet writers dub him “archpirate” because of his fearlessness and brutality. His name is John Ward.

Nicholas chooses the sea to seek his fortune. Instead, he finds himself enslaved. To escape this misery, he renounces Christianity and becomes an adherent of Islam. Being a renegade gives him the freedom to sail, which provides him with an opportunity to return home to France, where his conversion means he has to live a lie or hide. Farming proves not his forte, so he returns to the sea, where he is captured once again and recognized as a renegade.

Her ship captured by Barbary corsairs in 1756, Ellen Marsh finds herself a captive deemed worthy of a Moroccan prince. A friend poses as her husband to stave off the prince’s advances until she and her “husband” are ransomed. She later writes of her experiences as The Female Captive.

These are but three people who encounter Barbary corsairs during the nearly three centuries in which these privateers prowl the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Although these marauders act like pirates, their attacks are legally sanctioned by rulers of the Barbary city states for which they sail: Algiers, Salé, Tripoli, and Tunis. They seize a wide variety of plunder, but the most prized booty are the captives of all ages who end up as slaves to rulers and residents of North Africa.

Adam Nichols writes in his introduction, “Most of the stories told about pirates are exaggerations at best; at worst, they are romantic fabrications. . . . As a result, Barbary corsairs, and the world in which they operated, are often depicted in an oversimplified, distorted way.” (viii) His goal here is to correct these misinterpretations and falsehoods by showing these privateers in a more realistic manner through first-hand narratives, written by those who witness Barbary captives and/or experience life as one.

The book consists of two parts: Narratives and Narrative Texts. Narratives is divided into three distinct segments. “Corsairs” examines the privateering business, including methods, economics, and risks. “Captives” delves into the victims, focusing on specific encounters for which primary accounts exist. One of these recounts the capture of Jacob in 1621, where four sailors find themselves prisoners of Barbary corsairs during a storm. Two others discuss Friar Antonio, a clergyman who falls in love, while a Trinitarian friar named Pierre Dan is sent to Algiers by Cardinal Richelieu to negotiate the release of French slaves. The third segment, “Corsair Captains,” introduces individual leaders, such as Simon Danseker, Calafat Hassan, John Ward, and Claes Compaen.

Eight narrative texts comprise the second part of this book. These include “Captain John Smith on Pirates and Renegades,” “Captain Henry Mainwaring on the Suppression of Piracy,” “The Narrative of João De Carvalho Macarenhas: Captured at Sea by Algerine Corsairs,” “Father Pierre Dan on the Slave Market in Algiers,” “Filippo Pananti: Narrative of a Residence in Algiers,” “The Odyssey of René Du Chastelet des Boys,” “Francis Brooks: Barbarian Cruelty,” and “Elizabeth Marsh: The Female Captive.” Each begins with a brief setup, including the reason for its selection.

The final chapter, “The View from the Other Shore,” explains why other books on this subject have fallen short, which results in readers assuming that “North Africans were inhuman brutes, while Europeans were innocents cruelly wronged.” (206) Both groups commit brutalities and engage in human trafficking. By concentrating on accounts written by those who experience or witness the events, Nichols provides readers with a truer picture of what occurs during this turbulent time in history.

A center plate section includes pictures of places, people (officials as well as those who were enslaved), ships, and the treatment of slaves. There is a bibliography but no index.

In the introduction, Nichols writes, “Buried in the dry chronologies are human stories filled with pathos and danger, fear and bravery, betrayal and friendship – and love. The original sources just need a bit of editing to bring out the story element in them.” (ix) He is upfront about having edited the original accounts to some degree. Some may object to this, but his goal is not to provide another tome for serious scholars; instead, he succeeds in providing readers with informative, readable, and compelling true first-person stories that show the reality and complexity of the strife between North Africans and Europeans. Equally noteworthy are that some of these primary accounts have not appeared in English before, and that Nichols includes tidbits of information not found in other books on the Barbary corsairs and how they operated.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Nichols.html)



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Maritime Kensington review

Maritime Kensington: Shipwright Dynasties of Philadelphia by Gretchen Bell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One day, Gretchen Bell joined a tour of Laurel Hill Cemetery, where she was introduced to the gravesites of Philadelphia shipbuilders William Cramp, John K. Hammitt, Samuel Merrick, John Birely, John Vaughan, and William Sutton. Her curiosity piqued, she wanted to learn more but discovered that regional histories were fairly silent about these men. Shipyards that were once famous throughout the world had become mere blips in history books and Kensington residents were unaware of the men who lent their names to their streets. She decided to change this.

Anthony Palmer of Barbados, a 17th-century land speculator, established an estate named Kensington in present-day Pennsylvania. The land along the shores of the Delaware River had once belonged to the Lenni-Lenape tribe. Eventually, he laid out streets and sold plots of land. By 1676, James West built the first substantial shipyard six years before William Penn arrived in his colony. Others followed and, as time passed, these families merged through marriage and business.

During the 18th century, Kensington’s shipwrights built privateers and vessels that brought more immigrants to the region. It didn’t take long before Philadelphia eclipsed Boston as the most important shipbuilding center in the colonies. Over the decades businesses and fortunes waned and swelled, oftentimes impacted what was happening on a wider stage. Some shipbuilders learned to change with the times; others didn’t. This growth, decline, and adaptation are all discussed within these sixteen chapters. For example, John Vaughan built Baltimore, the first vessel powered by steam in 1815, which began Kensington’s shift from sailing ships to steamships. Immigration during the middle of the 19th century also impacted the region and its shipbuilding, as did the Panic of 1857. In the second half of the century, Charles Cramp oversaw the building of ships for the Imperial Russian Navy. When he died in 1913, his death was reported as front-page news and not just in Philadelphia. While the Cramps succeeded in adapting to these changes, the Cope family, which focused on building packet ships, did not.

The book includes maps, illustrations, notes on sources, chapter notes, a bibliography, and an index. Intertwined throughout these pages is relevant history on a greater scale to better understand the local historical development of the area.

Although records on Philadelphia’s shipbuilding history are scarce, Bell has compiled an important contribution on which other researchers can build “to restore the memory of these laboring clans who lived and worked along the Delaware River.” (13) She explores the development and evolution of Kensington’s shipwrights from the earliest days of William Penn’s colony until 2011, when the Cramp Machine & Turret Shop was torn down, removing “the last piece of Philadelphia’s great nineteenth-century shipbuilding industry.” (12)


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adult-hist...)



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From Sea Routes to Silk Roads -- a review

From Sea Routes to Silk Roads: Fujian and the Ryukyu Kingdom by chen xie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In 1372, King Satto of the small island kingdom of Ryukyu (Okinawa) wished to formalize his country’s relationship with China. Fujian sailors had begun trading with the island for many years, but now the king desired to establish diplomatic ties and become a tributary state. This formal relation continued until 1879, when Japan annexed the island.

From Sea Routes to Silk Roads – part of the Illustrated Fujian and the Maritime Silk Road series – focuses on the connections between Fujian, China and Ryukyu. The port of Quanzhou provided the link, although Fuzhou later became the point of embarkation and debarkation for diplomatic missions. Details about these exchanges provide intriguing information about the envoys who visited Ryukyu. For example, those sent between 1403 and 1425 “had committed crimes and were punished to guard the borders.” (22) Scrolls depict in art what the narrative highlights.

Another outgrowth from these relations is that Fujianese shipwrights lend their expertise to Ryukyu, which allows the islanders to build “a thriving maritime trade known as Wan Guo Jin Liang (a bridge to all countries).” (16) The authors include fascinating facts and illustrations of Fujian shipyards and imperial mission ships known as fengzhou, as well as some traditions that seafarers practice when navigating from one place to another and the sea gods they believe in, such as Lady Linshui and the Sea Dragon King. The Fujian Bureau for Foreign Shipping manages the trade, and some architecture pertaining to this exists today. Whether for tribute or trade, merchants deal in sulfur, whetstones, kelp, copper, pepper, and products from logwood trees. Craftsmen share their knowledge and products, such as lacquerware and textiles.

The book contains a wealth of black-&-white and color illustrations that include maps, photographs, paintings, sample documents, and artifacts that show the connections between Fujian and Ryukyu. Among these are the Wan Guo Jin Liang Bell (1458) and pages from Shun Feng Xiang Song, an early chart depicting the sea route that Fujian sailors create during the days of the Song and Yuan emperors. Within the Forbidden City are items of tribute from Ryukyu, which originally come from other countries, such as Japanese armor and swords.

Of course, trade often leads to immigrants, and one section of this book is devoted to the thirty-six families from Min (China) who move to Ryukyu. There, they establish communities that become their home away from home and integrate the two cultures. People from Ryukyu also travel to China, and evidence of their time in the empire can be found in Fujian’s cemeteries. In addition, cross-cultural evidence is presented in each other’s cuisine.

From Sea Routes to Silk Roads is an engaging introduction to one facet of the Maritime Silk Road. Specific details are presented here that are absent from other books in the series, and sometimes in greater depth. Although impossible to display one long scroll that is currently held in Japan, the authors feel it important enough to subdivide the scroll so readers can view and study the segments across nine pages of what a Chinese diplomatic corps of the period looked like upon arrival in Ryukyu. This volume is one of the most thorough and insightful presentations in the series that happily avoids weaknesses found in its other titles.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Xie-Lin.html)



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Echoes Across the Sea

Echoes across the Sea: Fujian, Persia, and the Arab World by Yuling Ding

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Trade between East and West was facilitated by Chinese, Persian, and Arab merchants, comprising key components of the Maritime Silk Road. This volume of the Illustrated Fujian and the Maritime Silk Road series examines the interactions and connections by sea between this region of the world and Fujian, China, which first started during the Tang Dynasty of Imperial China (AD 618-907). (Earlier exchanges took place via land as far back as the Han Dynasty.)

Described as being of “eight mountains, one river, and one field,” Fujian played a key role in maritime trade because most people were forced to venture asea to make their livings and to survive. (2) The first chapter explores this maritime tradition and includes photographs of early artifacts, such as boat coffins and the remains of a Han canoe. Fuzhou became renowned for shipbuilding, while Quanzhou served as a key port that welcomed foreign travelers to China. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), ships sailed to and from this city and fifty-eight other countries. One section of the chapter is devoted to the various types of vessels that the Fujianese utilized, such as the niaochuan, a boat with a bow resembling a bird’s beak and eyes painted on either side. The photographs and other artwork clearly demonstrate the differences between these crafts. The work and quality of Fujianese shipwrights made them ideal for the building of naval ships and for those that sailed to faraway shores, such as Admiral Zheng He’s fleet, a model of which is included in this chapter.

The second chapter focuses on the mosques erected in Fujian by Muslim immigrants. They serve as evidence of the close cultural ties between China and the Middle East. One of the earliest is Qingjing Mosque, built in 1009 and the only one that still exists to showcase Central Asian medieval architecture. Many photographs take readers to the most historically important mosques. While places of worship are the focus of the second chapter, the third examines Islamic tombstones. Their inscriptions provide insights into the lives of those who journeyed to and lived in Fujian. Two disciples of Muhammad from the 7th century are buried in Quanzhou.

Chapter four looks at Muslim families who settled in Quanzhou, including the Pu (known for perfume), the Ding (including Ding Gongchen, an expert in military firearms who authored a number of studies on the subject), and the Guo (sea traders and fishermen). These families’ architecture best shows the intertwining of Islamic and Chinese cultures.

The fifth chapter delves into trade commodities and tributes. Persian and Arab merchants bring with them incense, such as frankincense (used ritualistically and to aid medicinally). Pepper, or black gold, is a spice used to flavor food or help cure ailments. The Chinese export cinnamon, musk, and rhubarb. Among the plants introduced to China are jasmine, henna, narcissus, and aloe. Tribute items include ivory, tortoiseshell, and pearls. Another important aspect of culture exchange pertains to etiquette and customs of daily life, such as murals, festivals, Arabic calligraphy, and the hijab that women wear. Also covered is the production and trading of Fujianese porcelain, whose importance is evidenced in the 2007 discovery of the Nanhai One shipwreck.

A key feature of this book is the inclusion of dates, rather than simply identifying dynasties or centuries. The artwork of ships is amazing, although some lack translations of the Chinese that appears with the illustrations, such as on that of the Xiamen Ship. (I believe these identify ship parts, but that is only an educated guess.) Also of importance is that this volume includes more narrative than in other books in the series and the English translation is seamless. The authors felt it important enough to include details about when boats sail and how long trips take – tidbits that are rarely included in many works, but which are of interest to some readers. This title also includes one of the most extensive lists of references. Echoes Across the Sea is a fascinating window into China’s maritime world and how cultural exchanges with other countries affected its own evolution and history.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Ding-Lin.html)



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Ching Shih: review of graphic biography

Ching Shih, Famous Pirate Commander by Stephanie Peters

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


To survive, young Ching Shih serves men who visit her place of work. She overhears men talking, and she offers the information to a pirate for a price. They marry and she becomes his partner. Their success garners them many riches and much power. When her husband dies, she finds a way to continue to lead the Red Fleet and to instill fear in the heart of the Chinese emperor in Ching Shih.

Rather than farm the land, John Roberts joins the British Navy and seeks adventure. Later, he joins the crew of a merchant ship, which encounters pirates. He is forced to join their ranks, but soon discovers that the perks of plundering other ships will make his life richer. When his captain is ambushed and slain, the crew elects Roberts to be their commander. He chooses a new name and wreaks havoc everywhere he sails in Black Bart.

Daughter of a chieftain and pirate, Grace O’Malley chops off her hair and hides aboard her father’s ship until they are so far out at sea that he can’t tell her to go home. The day eventually comes when her mother puts her foot down and Grace must follow the traditional role of a woman in 16th-century Ireland. Later, she returns to the sea to become a pirate leader and dares to meet face-to-face with the English queen to save her son in Grace O’Malley.

When England is at war with France, a youth named Edward Teach joins a crew of privateers, but when peace comes, he signs aboard a pirate ship captained by the infamous Benjamin Hornigold, who teaches Edward how to be a pirate. Before long, he becomes famous in his own right and earns a moniker that instills fear in anyone who crosses his path: Blackbeard.

Notorious Pirates is a series of four graphic novels geared toward pirate apprentices. Each pirate’s life unfolds from earliest days to the end of his or her piratical career. Fact is entwined with legend, sometimes to fill in gaps, sometimes to further entice readers. Each book is divided into five chapters and includes additional facts about the pirate, a glossary, and several internet sites where additional information can be found. The text combines dialogue and narrative to provide a cohesive tale from start to finish. The artwork grabs the reader’s attention and the artists incorporate a variety of techniques to instill emotion into the scenes. Those found in Blackbeard are particularly good at portraying victims’ terror and Blackbeard’s fearsomeness. I particularly like how the artists of this book depict the final battle between Blackbeard and Lieutenant Maynard; it’s visually stunning without being bloody and gory. Equally compelling is how the artists depict a duel between a pirate and a sailor in Black Bart.

There are some issues with the books that may or may not bother readers. Unfortunately, the inclusion of websites is problematic. It’s great to provide additional information, but not all of the URLs are current. For example, the last one listed in Grace O’Malley – Twinkl: Who Was Grace O’Malley? – is no longer viable. I did a search to see whether the URL had changed, but the information that answers the question is no longer there. Instead “Grace O’Malley” turned up a variety of visuals and activities for use in the classroom.

While most of the artwork vividly depicts scenes and action, the graphics do have some shortcomings. The clothing in Grace O’Malley is that of a later period than the one in which she lives. Vessels of the 1500s do not have staircases – nor do those of Blackbeard’s days – and the types of cannons used on the ships differ from those of later centuries. The vessels Ching Shih and her pirates sail are junks, yet those pictured show them as being predominately Western-style ships. This detracts from the setting and misleads the reader.

There are also a few historical inaccuracies. One graphic perpetuates the myth of walking the plank. The golden age of piracy does not begin in 1701; it occurs after the War of the Spanish Succession ends in the next decade. This is supposedly why Blackbeard turns to piracy. While the depiction of how he meets Stede Bonnet is humorous, in actuality, Bonnet is gravely injured and on the mend at the time Blackbeard commandeers Bonnet’s ship.

Since this series is geared toward younger pirates in training (Reading Level: grades 2-3, Interest Level: 4-6), these books will be popular with this age group and the reinforced library bindings of the hardback editions guarantee they will stand up to frequent usage. They serve as good introductions to the pirates, and the inclusion of two females and two males ensures that the books will interest girls and boys equally. The stories do gloss over some of the seamier aspects of these pirates’ lives, so parents and teachers need not worry about this. I recommend that further investigations into these pirates be paired with these books so readers receive a fuller and more accurate picture of who Grace O’Malley, Blackbeard, Black Bart, and Ching Shih really were.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/YA-biograp...)



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Grace O'Malley: review of a graphic biography

Grace O'malley, Pirate Queen of Ireland by Stephanie Peters

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Daughter of a chieftain and pirate, Grace O’Malley chops off her hair and hides aboard her father’s ship until they are so far out at sea that he can’t tell her to go home. The day eventually comes when her mother puts her foot down and Grace must follow the traditional role of a woman in 16th-century Ireland. Later, she returns to the sea to become a pirate leader and dares to meet face-to-face with the English queen to save her son in Grace O’Malley.

Rather than farm the land, John Roberts joins the British Navy and seeks adventure. Later, he joins the crew of a merchant ship, which encounters pirates. He is forced to join their ranks, but soon discovers that the perks of plundering other ships will make his life richer. When his captain is ambushed and slain, the crew elects Roberts to be their commander. He chooses a new name and wreaks havoc everywhere he sails in Black Bart.

When England is at war with France, a youth named Edward Teach joins a crew of privateers, but when peace comes, he signs aboard a pirate ship captained by the infamous Benjamin Hornigold, who teaches Edward how to be a pirate. Before long, he becomes famous in his own right and earns a moniker that instills fear in anyone who crosses his path: Blackbeard.

To survive, young Ching Shih serves men who visit her place of work. She overhears men talking, and she offers the information to a pirate for a price. They marry and she becomes his partner. Their success garners them many riches and much power. When her husband dies, she finds a way to continue to lead the Red Fleet and to instill fear in the heart of the Chinese emperor in Ching Shih.

Notorious Pirates is a series of four graphic novels geared toward pirate apprentices. Each pirate’s life unfolds from earliest days to the end of his or her piratical career. Fact is entwined with legend, sometimes to fill in gaps, sometimes to further entice readers. Each book is divided into five chapters and includes additional facts about the pirate, a glossary, and several internet sites where additional information can be found. The text combines dialogue and narrative to provide a cohesive tale from start to finish. The artwork grabs the reader’s attention and the artists incorporate a variety of techniques to instill emotion into the scenes. Those found in Blackbeard are particularly good at portraying victims’ terror and Blackbeard’s fearsomeness. I particularly like how the artists of this book depict the final battle between Blackbeard and Lieutenant Maynard; it’s visually stunning without being bloody and gory. Equally compelling is how the artists depict a duel between a pirate and a sailor in Black Bart.

There are some issues with the books that may or may not bother readers. Unfortunately, the inclusion of websites is problematic. It’s great to provide additional information, but not all of the URLs are current. For example, the last one listed in Grace O’Malley – Twinkl: Who Was Grace O’Malley? – is no longer viable. I did a search to see whether the URL had changed, but the information that answers the question is no longer there. Instead “Grace O’Malley” turned up a variety of visuals and activities for use in the classroom.

While most of the artwork vividly depicts scenes and action, the graphics do have some shortcomings. The clothing in Grace O’Malley is that of a later period than the one in which she lives. Vessels of the 1500s do not have staircases – nor do those of Blackbeard’s days – and the types of cannons used on the ships differ from those of later centuries. The vessels Ching Shih and her pirates sail are junks, yet those pictured show them as being predominately Western-style ships. This detracts from the setting and misleads the reader.

There are also a few historical inaccuracies. One graphic perpetuates the myth of walking the plank. The golden age of piracy does not begin in 1701; it occurs after the War of the Spanish Succession ends in the next decade. This is supposedly why Blackbeard turns to piracy. While the depiction of how he meets Stede Bonnet is humorous, in actuality, Bonnet is gravely injured and on the mend at the time Blackbeard commandeers Bonnet’s ship.

Since this series is geared toward younger pirates in training (Reading Level: grades 2-3, Interest Level: 4-6), these books will be popular with this age group and the reinforced library bindings of the hardback editions guarantee they will stand up to frequent usage. They serve as good introductions to the pirates, and the inclusion of two females and two males ensures that the books will interest girls and boys equally. The stories do gloss over some of the seamier aspects of these pirates’ lives, so parents and teachers need not worry about this. I recommend that further investigations into these pirates be paired with these books so readers receive a fuller and more accurate picture of who Grace O’Malley, Blackbeard, Black Bart, and Ching Shih really were.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/YA-biograp...)



View all my reviews