Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates

Before diving into the Golden Age of Piracy, Dolin sets the scene with the Treaty of Tordesillas and the circumnavigation of the globe by Drake, which was summed up quite nicely.. Then from the 1640s to the 1680s he describes how the American colonies developed a profitable relationship with pirates. Even Puritan Governor John Winthrop of Massachusetts welcomed them with open arms. "Red Sea Men" as they were called, brought in the first silver bullion and hundreds of America's earliest slaves. Besides the more infamous names, we're introduced to Dixie Bull, Thomas Paine, Michel Landresson, Thomas Pound, Thomas Tew, Adam Baldridge, John James, John Quelch, Lewis Guittar and more. Then of course there are the determined pirate hunters: show more Thomas Thacker, William Dyer, Captain Pease, Robert Snead, Lord Bellomont and even Salem Witch Trial judge Samuel Sewall. But with pirate booty lining the pockets of prominent merchants and royal governors, it would take new laws and a complete political overhaul to reel in the pirates' success.

Dolin really delivers here. Black Flags, Blue Waters fills in some of the gaps that other pirate histories leave behind. I appreciated that this one stuck to the American colonies, rather than focusing solely on Jamaica and Madagascar. People tend to forget that the pirates may have raided int he Caribbean but they unloaded in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Charleston. But Dolin doesn't overpower the reader with every little prize taken or world politics either. He effectively proves that pirates had a direct effect on the economy, the local government and inter-colonial relationships. The colonies were as active in the Golden Age of Piracy as any island in the Caribbean. show less

I like pirates, but this wasn't a particularly exciting history. It is focused on pirates who were based in or operated of the coast of the American colonies. A lot of them seem like amateurs when compared to the Captain Morgan's of the Caribbean. Black Beard was the most famous of the lot, but that author's description of his career was uninspiring.

I didn't know much about Edward Lowe before reading this, and he definitely numbers among the most vicious pirates of the golden age. I am sure that being a pirate captain took nerve and a certain disregard for human suffering, but Lowe was a monster even in the company of villains.

A lot of the other pirate captains seemed decidedly small time. Dolin does address the lesser known pirates show more and the interaction between pirates and the economy of the Americas and Caribbean. There was a lot going on, but demobilizing thousands of sailors at a time when vast amounts of portable wealth was being shipped back and forth across the Atlantic seems like a bad idea in hindsight. show less

3 stars. It’s a bit dry, if you’ll pardon the pun, but I did learn more about the subject matter, and that’s what I wanted to do, after starting Black Sails and having seen my fair share of pirate movies over the years (even having fond childhood memories of the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean ride). Recommended, just have coffee close at hand.

Fascinating look back at the Pirate era and the reasons for Pirates and how they helped colonies at times economic wise

Excellence story with truths untold. very good history of nth american pirates and the relationship between Spain England Portugal and the American colonies.