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by Colin Woodard There were many privateers, sanctioned by various governments, who preyed on ships belonging to opposing governments, but the Caribbean Pirates that Woodard writes about in The Republic of Pirates were a different breed. Social Revolutionaries? Well, yes, I guess they were. There's no Jack Sparrow in these pages, but the real pirates were just as colorful, and have fascinated generations of readers. This is the story of "The Golden Age of Piracy." In only a few years...between 1715 and 1725, these men actually set up a colony in the Bahamas which attracted disgruntled sailors, displaced slaves and many other men and women who had rebelled against the prevailing governments; and they were enormously successful in robbing ships and amassing great fortunes. Unlike the poor pay (or no pay) which sailors received on government ships, the spoils were divided equitably among the crew members. In these pages we meet Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, Sam Bellamy, Charles Vane, Calico Jack Rackham, Benjamin Hornigold, Josiah Burgess, Henry Jennings, and the notorious women: Anne Bonney and Mary Read, along with the man who was ultimately responsible for ending their reign: Woodes Rogers. Woodard tells us about their private lives and follows each pirate through his career and to his ultimate ending. This is certainly the most complete, compelling and readable history of the early eighteenth century pirates that I have come across, and I highly recommend it. It provided me with hours of enjoyable reading and gave me a new perspective on some of my favorite bad boys. It is filled with fast-moving action and characters who are much more interesting than their fictional counterparts. This book sure made a fan out of me, and I can't wait to see what Colin Woodard writes about next. |
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The Republic of Pirates