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Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates (1996)

by David Cordingly

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2,701405,313 (3.68)42
For this rousing, revisionist history, the former head of exhibitions at England's National Maritime Museum has combed original documents and records to produce a most authoritative and definitive account of piracy's "Golden Age." As he explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking the plank" is pure fiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth that is more complex and often bloodier.… (more)
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Showing 1-5 of 39 (next | show all)
A good overview of the history of pirates including those operating in the Indian Ocean. It also includes interesting facts about the authors who wrote some of the best known pirate stories ([author:Robert Louis Stevenson], [author:J.M. Barrie]) and how their portrayal of pirates helped secure the image of the swashbuckler that we identify with today. ( )
  kelleysgirl76 | Sep 16, 2022 |
I picked this up to read by the pool when we traveled to Panama with friends. Contains a *ton* of history and information. Unfortunately, I felt swamped by information. I couldn't remember who was who or when was when. I can't help but wonder if it could've been a better book if the focus was narrowed to the most famous pirates. ( )
  MarkLacy | May 29, 2022 |
Had the paper copy for ever and never read it, it's a good refresher on the history of Pirates. ( )
  cloidl | May 20, 2022 |
terrible, a pain to read. I was really excited about it because it was about pirates and seemed good, but it really was just a mishmash of random stories to illustrate some disparate pirate related topics. No real flow or continuity. ( )
  royragsdale | Sep 22, 2021 |
A pretty good overview of piracy. Not strictly chronological, there are sections on specific topics like pirate ship selection, internal governance, and trials. Probably the best overview; there are better books about specific subtopics. ( )
  octal | Jan 1, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 39 (next | show all)
The great merit of Cordingly's book is that he weaves together the story of what the pirates actually were with the narrative of how we came to see them as we do.
added by Stir | editLos Angeles Times, Anthony Day (Oct 25, 1996)
 
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For Matthew and Rebecca
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Robert Louis Stevenson was thirty years old when he began writing Treasure Island.
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For this rousing, revisionist history, the former head of exhibitions at England's National Maritime Museum has combed original documents and records to produce a most authoritative and definitive account of piracy's "Golden Age." As he explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking the plank" is pure fiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth that is more complex and often bloodier.

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