While the book itself is strictly a coloring book. It does cite historical references for each plate and give a small account of each individual. Some plates are generic pirates of a certain era and some are actual pirate personalities. I have used the book to supplement my Junior High lectures on Pirates as related to History and Liturature.

Copeland does a good job with his explanations of the events of the Civil War, but I think historians on at least the college level would grimace. The images are great and easy to color and the text is good for battles and participants in the war itself.