I read this book in one sitting. By covering the role of women and the sea, mostly in the 18th and 19th centuries, the author has brought to life stories that have been ignored for years. He covers everything from real women who disguised themselves as men to go to sea, to fictional and mythical creatures such as mermaids. All of the "true life" stories are wonderful, such as the young sea captain's wife who quelled a mutiny and sailed a clipper ship around Cape Horn when her husband was struck down by an illness.

David Cordingly manages to cover quite a vast subject without being overly verbose.

Women have been held to have particular power over the sea. Mermaids, of course, enchanted the sailors, as did the Sirens. And yet, there is an ancient superstition that women are not good for ships. The contradiction between woman as sea power and woman as sea jinx is hard to understand. It is discussed, but not resolved, in _Women Sailors & Sailors' Women: An Untold Maritime History_ (Random House) by David Cordingly, a wide-ranging look at women and the high seas during the great age of sail. Cordingly has been on the staff of the fine National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, and his wonderful book _Under the Black Flag_ was a revealing account of what pirates actually did. His current book is an entertaining miscellany of feminine and nautical lore, and while it is not a feminist tract, it is clear that women have played a larger role in seafaring than history generally gives them credit for.

Some of their roles are direct ones. Hannah Snell, for instance, served as a marine in the Royal Navy, sent to India on the sloop _Swallow_ in 1747. She was a bit of a hero in the siege of Pondicherry, shot eleven times in the legs. She revealed herself as a woman to her shipmates when she arrived home, and they would not have believed it had her sister not assured them of the truth. She was the only woman sailor to be granted a pension by The Royal Hospital at Chelsea. Once she was fully recovered from her wounds, and her identity was open, she became a celebrity, performing on the stage, having her portrait painted, and issuing a vivid account of her life story.

Most of the women at sea were, of course, women without a subterfuge of being men. Lower rates were allowed to have wives and families on board, especially the warrant officers known as "standing officers." These were the gunners, boatswains, and carpenters who, once assigned to a ship, were attached to that one ship more or less for good, sometimes from her launch to her breaking up. If the wives were aboard at wartime, they were expected to fulfill nursing duties or carry powder to the guns. They were never recorded in the official muster book, and so they only appear in letters or court-martial transcripts. Sometimes wives at sea played a heroic role. When her husband, the captain of the _Neptune's Car_, bound from New York to San Francisco in 1856, fell ill and collapsed, Mary Patten took effective command of the ship and brought it in safely. As a book about "sailors' women," this one tells about the wives the sailors left behind them, and also the prostitutes. It recounts the affairs of Nelson, John Paul Jones, and the ever-ready Captain Augustus Hervey, who had affairs with aristocratic ladies wherever his ship was in port, and if his reports are to be believed, they initiated action as often as he did, and gave him presents in token of his powers.

Cordingly has obviously had fun compiling these diverse tales and descriptions, which also include stories of ruthless female pirates, heroic lifesaving female lighthouse keepers, and Tahitian temptresses. He has illuminated an aspect of seafaring life that does not make it into most history books, and his book is an entertaining look at what we usually think of as an all-male world. Over and over, the men couldn't have managed without the women.

This book, although not perfect, should be included in every pirate scholar's library. Rather than just focusing on the "Golden Age" pirates of the early 18th century, THE HISTORY OF PIRATES examines piracy from the moment man started to travel by water to modern day piracy. It's well-written, well-researched, and well-designed. Read about ancient pirates who terrorized Greece and Rome, Vikings who led a rampage throughout Dark Age Europe, Barbary corsairs who virtually ruled the Medditerrain Sea until the Knights of Malta provided formidable counterparts, the buccaneers who mercilessly plundered the territory of the hated Spanish and gave birth to the succeeding "Golden Age" generation. Also, you'll see how governments have used legalized pirates (privateers) since ancient times. Before there were mean streets, there were mean seas. Life at sea was brutal and unforgiving. These were not glamorous "swashbucklers," but ruthless men who came from a world where life was cheap and one man's freedom was gained by violating the rights of others. In my opinion, the most interesting of these characters were: Henry Morgan, the buccaneer who was officially known as a privateer because of his British sympathies but whose illegal, corrupt campaigns can be classified as regular piracy. And also Bartholemew Roberts, who was the most brutal and prolific of the "Golden Age" pirates. I wish Konstam would go into more detail about the situations of disgruntled merchants & slavers (like Bartholemew Roberts) and escaped slaves who joined pirate crews for a better life, to shed a more human light on them, but I guess that's just a personal interest of mine. I also object to the inclusion of the overrated David Cordingly, but he's just in the inroduction, and doesn't ruin the book at all. That, and didn't Blackbeard carry six pistols rather than three? Oh well, these are just minor complaints. Just about everything you wanted to know about piratacy is in here. I'd also recommend the accounts by Alexander Exquemlin (a former buccaneer who tells his story), Captain Johnson (to know all about Golden Age pirates, but don't get the Cordingly-edited version), and Eyewitness books (designed for younger readers, but surprisingly more informative than most pirate books). Along with those books, this is a mandatory study of plunder on the high seas.

This is probably my second favorite book on pirates (Under the Black Flag is first). However, this is a high quality overview of the history of pirates from earliest recorded times onward. Konstam breaks it down by era, from the ancient world on, with discussion of the periods, famous names and regions. The graphic content is probably even more impressive than the text. The inclusion of maps and period images make this an entertaining as well as informative read. P-)

Angus Konstam takes us through a general history of piracy on the seas, from the ancient raiders of Babylonia and Greece to the modern-day guerillas in speedboats armed with AK-47 assault rifles in the south China Sea. Each chapter is well illustrated with period paintings and photographs, with particular focus on the "Golden Age of Piracy" in the 16th and 17th century when galleons and merchant brigs carried gold, jewels, sugar, cotton, and rum from the Spanish Main to the American colonies and Europe.

Well written and easy to read, each page is printed on glossy paper and clean typeface, with illustrations to help convey the mood of the book. Its an entertaining history of piracy (and if a book isn't entertaining, then why read it?). It may not have the depth of some of the more scholastically-oriented books available, but this book is a good place to start when building your library.

Overall, a good book to have around.

"Pirates" is a very well documented book on the history of pirates throughout the ages, from Ancient Greece to the present. Each chapter is written by a specialist in each theme, which makes the reading amusing because of some different points of view of the authors about the same aspects of piracy. No other book on piracy unites so many highly qualified historians on this theme. The reader will be amazed with the pictures, drawings and maps, a remarkable aspect of the book, which makes this full - color edition unique. I have not found such a good and complete pictography on pirates elsewhere. The book includes innovating chapters with new information, such as the last one, entitled "Piracy Today". Since this theme has not been covered by many authors, the chapter constitutes an excellent reference for people interested in doing further investigation. Even though, "Pirates" does not constitute a complete work on piracy, it can best be defined as a glance at sea banditry in different places and times. All the chapters captured me but left me with a sense of "wanting more", which has encouraged me to search for more books on every aspect of Pirate History. Pirates is an excellent book as an introduction to the study of piracy.

fairly good book about pirates, though it would have been nice to hear something about like a secret island, something about the secret life of pirates. a good book anyways, though

This book is exquisite. Highly detailed, with rich lush paintings and drawings, it fully explores the many aspects of a rover's life. I highly recommend it.

David Cordingly has written an interesting book on piracy that consists of well researched stories of how pirates really acted, and then compares those stories to the mainstream culture view of piracy. The anecdotes are entertaining, and are well written, so that the book flows along nicely. For people who are looking for a history book, the style of Cordingly's writing is a bit informal and some of his information on pirates doesn't get very in depth (although his extensive list of sources shows that he could be in depth, and gives the reader a chance to research more for his/herself if he/she so desires), but for someone who is looking for information about pirates and a good read, this book is excellent. I highly recommend it.

It is difficult to find intelligent, well written, historically accurate accounts on such broad (yet obscure) topics as piracy on the high seas. It is even more difficult to find ones whose style doesn't dull the compelling nature of the institution. Cordingly however, is able to put forth to his readers a refined historical account, that is long on both drama and accuracy. This book fills a gap, on the study of pirates, that existed between the overly scholarly and the overly sensational, giving both the history buff and the mildly curious a window into an otherwise difficult subject to research and report on. But unlike most historical works, there is no loss of romance, proof that history doesn't need the added flare of a coffee table publication if the humanity of the subject is stressed over the plain, dry facts. The lives of these sea-roving vagabonds are enough to lure the reader further into Cordingly's pages, but his style is enough to keep you loving it. ! I recommend this book wholeheartedly, especially to those who have never read any such account on the true history of piracy.

David Cordingly's "Under the Black Flag, The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates" constitutes the best researhed book on pirate history I have ever read. The information provided about the lives of this notorious anti-heroes, the reality of the life among them and the world of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is amazingly accurate, and backed up with an extensive bibliography and footnotes. For those interested in pirate history throughout the ages, and specially the Golden Age of Piracy, this book constitutes a fundamental tool for understanding the pirate reality. When uncovering how the real people like Edward Teach and Calico Jack were, this book has no equal. Cordingly separates the myths from the real individuals behind them, proving that the reality is much more interesting than the romance, when uncovered. At the same time, the author discusses how the myths surrounding Blackbeard, the Women Pirates or Kidd's treasure, were formed and have survived through the years, becoming important elements of popular culture. Cordingly establishes why in our hearts, pirates were not sadistic villans, but rather "...romantic outlaws living far from civilization on some distant sunny shore," something most of us would dream to be.

Treasure Island is no doubt a good read and deserves any reader's full attention for it is filled with the most excitement and adventure.

Jim Hawkins, a young boy that helps to run an inn finds himself stumbling into an adventure after another. After the death of an old pirate that lived in the inn, he founds a treasure map in the dead pirate's chest that more than he thought are after... He sails with his adult friends to find this treasure aboard the great Hispaniola. When a dreadful plot of treachery and mutiny is exposed, Jim begins to see how dangerous this sea adventure really is. Once upon the island, Jim and his friends find it harder than ever to keep grasp of life...

A truly great book with the classic theme that never grows old. The old-English and pirate slang that is written in this book is a bit tricky but does not interfer with the plot and the adventure.

So, all hands on deck and grab Treasure Island!

'Treasure Island' is an adventure novel that was written for children, but it will none the less provide much pleasure to the grown-ups. In this book, Steven tells the story of a young Scottish boy named Jim Hawkins, who stumbles upon a dreaded pirate's (Captain Flint) treasure map, and goes in search of it along with the village doctor and the squire. However they are not the only ones who knew about the hidden treasure. They are pursued by the former ruthless crewmembers of Captain Flint, these men will stop at nothing to lay their hands on the map!

'Treasure Island' is absolutely great. From the beginning to the end its filled with non-stop action. Jim Hawkins is telling the story, so as young people are, he is straight to the point. No unnecessary details are given which will certainly appeal to youngsters and best of all it is written in simple and plain English. For children this is a must-read.

If you think 'pirates', 'treasures' are too childish for you then I suggest you read it in your leisure moments. I'm sure you won't be able to put it aside till you've read the last page!

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is by far one of the best adventure stories I have ever read. This book deserves all five stars, it has everything you could ask for such as, suspense, comedy, action, drama and a great plot line. R.L. Stevenson puts a lot of detail into his main characters such as Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins just to name a few. He describes the scenes with such great detail that at times I had to remind myself that it is only a book. I spent more than 2 months reading this book and I enjoyed every part of it. I could RARELY find a paragraph that was dull, the book was very exciting overall. This book is fairly easy to read and I would recommend it to adults and children of all ages. The book moves at a very good pace, not too fast, not too slow. This book is anything but boring, something new happens in every chapter for instance, when Jim witnesses a murder and when he gets into bar fights, those are just some of the many things that happened. I was very surprised myself when I read this book because it seems a little childish but in fact it's quite the contrary. I highly recommend that you go out and read this book!

Officially, this book is taken for the work of Captain Charles Johnson. It is a compilation of narratives about various individual pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy, names like Blackbeard and Bartholomew Roberts (the dread pirate Roberts, from Princess Bride fame), Anne Bonny et al.

The conclusion that Defoe and Johnson were one and the same has come under fire these last few years and is not the accepted fact it once was. This text includes portions of the original volumes by Johnson, but not the whole, although it can be argued that it includes the stories that most readers would want. There is also some question about the validity of the stories, but we may never know whether they are true or fiction. P-)

This is yet another of the knock-offs of Captain Charles Johnson's General History of Pirates. It includes narratives of all the old favorites: Blackbeard, Kidd, Roberts, Bonny and others. As usual, Johnson's prose is preserved and some of the original illustrations grace the pages. The editor/publisher has includes a glossary, bibliography and notes to the original text.

However, the down side of this particular volume is that it includes only a subset of Johnson's original writings. And, there is no added index with which to quickly reference particular names and such. While I don't quite agree that the editor has ruined the original, I do find that this version falls short of its potential. P-)

As in the case of all Daniel Defoe books, the work is of exceptional quality though in places, the tone is unusually harsh & chillingly descriptive of the havoc that a twisted mind can wreak in the world.