Pirates and Privateers

by Charlotte Montague

The public have been in love with the more romantic aspects of pirate life ever since Errol Flynn first climbed the rigging for the film Captain Blood , in 1935. The hugely ...

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Pirates, Reference

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

Charlotte Montague is an author specializing in maritime history. Her father was a naval office, and as a child, she travelled the world with her family. She travels for most of the year, but returns frequently to her home, a remote 18th century cottage close to a famous smuggler's cove on the Cornish coast.

Reviews

[Cathal Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I really wasn't expecting much from this, seeing as the reviews I read mostly praised the design in the physical book, so it was kinda fun. Nothing I couldn't learn from a night on Wikipedia though. Not much better written, either. Despite having overlaps in information in the different chapters, it just re-explained it the same way each time instead of relating it back and forth and more stitching the book together. Also why was the section on 'Women Pirates' after the section on privateers instead of the rest of the pirates. And why use the phrase 'fought manly' when talking about how a female pirate fought. Cmon.
Hands down the most annoying thing about this book was the fact that the author kept talking about Errol Flynn in the Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk movies but absolutely no mention of the books they were based on by my guy Rafael Sabatini. My guy Raf had influence, people. And a proper pirate sword to boot. The popular interest in pirates isn't all down to Errol Flynn and Johnny bloody Depp.

[Kim Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the look/feel of the book. The pages looked like they were printed on paper from the 16th or 17th centuries, and the drawings/sketches were amazing. Some of the pirates featured were new to me, so that's a plus. However, despite the unique appearance of this book and the tad bit of new info, I can only give it three stars because of the entries and the frequent grammatical errors. The entries read like a bland, boring textbook (I have enough of these as it is as a college student. I don't want to read them in my spare time!). Some Wikipedia articles are better written than this book, in both style of writing and in being proofread. The occasional error isn't a huge deal, but several within a few short pages, is hard to deal with. Overall, this would be a cool book to own, but it's not worth reading more than once.

[LOVEROFBOOKS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew almost nothing about privates or privateers but found this at a discount and grabbed it up. Thankfully it turned out to be a treasure. (see what I just did there ;)

It is a very visually pleasing book with just a few pages about each pirate or privateer (or sometimes both, as the case may be) and the author writes in an interesting way that keeps you engaged. Nothing boring here at all, and no filler.

I don't think it would be good for younger kids because it talks of the ways pirates (and also their capturers) torture others, and of violence and rape.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book...I enjoyed the first half (The Pirates) a little more than the second half (the Privateers). Overall, interesting stuff.

[Sam Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent primer on pirate history

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: This is a review of the Kindle version of this book.

Firstly, this was an interesting and informative read. That being said, it's basically Wikipedia articles organized into book form. It's written like an encyclopaedia in the sense that each entry isn't really linked to the others, and you find some pieces of information being repeated time and again as they crop up under different headings.

My other major complaint is that the grammar in the last half of the book is atrocious, with so many sentences completely missing their conjunctions. I don't know if this is just the Kindle version that has this problem, but it honestly seemed like no one had bothered to run it past an editor. This again added to the feel that it was basically internet articles copied and pasted into book form.

Another gripe is that there are no maps. I can handle no pictures, but when you're describing trade and shipping routes I would say it's pretty much necessary to include at least a rudimentary map so that the reader can get their bearings.

Overall this is a decent enough overview of pirates and privateers, and works well as a primer before you move on to look at specific pirates or eras in more depth. But if you're looking for something detailed and well-written, you're not going to find it here.

[Evie Hoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It covers a good number of pirate figures and includes interesting stories from their lives. I especially liked learning about the interconnecting relationships between some of the pirates. A very good read for someone looking to gain an overview of pirates.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating (and beautifully designed) book.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of basic pirate history and major famous pirates. Nice, glossy pages and awesome looking cover would make this an excellent gift those wanting an introduction to the topic.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

.

[Chloe Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant book if you haven't read a lot on pirates. The author builds a nice solid foundation for the reader.

[Edward Fenner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting glimpse into some interesting pirates and privateers. Some new people I was unaware of but not a lot of new info otherwise.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listed as a children’s book but about the size of a coffee table book. Definitely an interesting read!