Under the Black Flag (Harvest Book): Amazon.co.uk: David Cordingly: Books

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ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON was thirty years old when he began writing Treasure Island. Read the first page

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13 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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4.4 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lightweight history but very enjoyable!, 26 May 1999

By A Customer

This is a well researched & factual account of the lives & times of pirates. The historical facts throughout, are nicely compared to the popular illusions we all draw when considering pirates in particular, or in general. A romantic life, this was not! Extremely few lived to enjoy the product of their nefarious activities on the high seas. In fact very few avoided coming to a sticky end on the gibbet, or on the deck of their ship. It's clear that the crime of piracy in the late 17th. early 18th. century, rarely paid. The book abounds with details of the principle characters that are both interesting & surprising. Perhaps the difference between two of the most well remembered & recognised pirates, Blackbeard & Captain Kidd, is a good example of the contrasts that are so neatly drawn in this book. Whilst Teach (Blackbeard) went about his business in true pirate fashion; cruelly, ruthlessly, fighting to the death & with no decency or honour. Captain Kidd, was proven guilty of only one murder (he killed one of his own crew in a fit of temper, by hitting him over the head with a heavy wooden bucket) & maintained until his final moments that his conviction for piracy was just a pure misunderstanding. This book is lightweight enough for anyone to enjoy & detailed enough for those wishing to study the subject in some depth.

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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aaargh, shiver me timbers, matey!, 11 Oct 2003

By	Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

UNDER THE BLACK FLAG is the perfect read for anyone who, as a kid, dressed up as a one-eyed pirate and went around waving a cardboard cutlass saying, "Aaargh, speak up bilge rat; where be the treasure?" Or anyone who enters company staff meetings with, "Ahoy tharr, scurvy dogs, shark meat ya'll be." Or, "Are ya feeling lucky, punk?" (Well, perhaps that last is from a more recent era.)

Since he's writing for Western audiences, Author David Cordingly focuses on the pirates, buccaneers, and corsairs of European background, who infested the waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans and the Caribbean during the 17th and 18th centuries. The book's twelve chapters reveal everything you've ever wanted to know about swashbuckling pirates and piracy: the ships, pirate flags, buried treasure, recruitment, plunderings, pirate violence, famous captains (e.g. Kidd, Blackbeard, Morgan, Rackam, Vane, Roberts), women pirates, pirates' women, pirate life on land and sea, marooning, walking the plank, pirate islands and haunts, pirates in the media (books, stage plays, films), pirate trials and executions, wooden legs and, yes, parrots.

Upon finishing UNDER THE BLACK FLAG, I tried to think of a reason not to award five stars, and couldn't. The volume is extensively researched, well organized, written with the popular audience in mind, eminently instructive, and not without humor. Sixteen pages of photographs complement the text. If you're interested in the topic, I can't recommend it too highly. Aaargh!

By the way, what does "shiver me timbers" mean, anyway?

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Insight into Life on the High Seas, 13 Aug 2006

By	Christina (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it cover to cover. There are several pages of glossy black & white photos and illustrations. The author's range and grasp of his subject matter is enormous, from piracy in fiction to piracy in Hollywood. Best of all, in my opinion, is the history and meticulously researched subject matter. As an example, Cordingly quotes from the original trial transcripts of Captain Kidd and he writes so sympathetically that one feels almost sorry for the blackguard! Cut-throats who relied heavily on intimdation and menace (hence the skull and crossbones) are dealt with sympathetically and straighforwardly without falling into sentimentality.

The author explains convincly why men - and sometimes women - turned to piracy. He reveals pirates to have had a strange kind of democracy: they voted for their own captain and shared the spoils of piracy between them in a pre-drawn up agreement that would rival any modern day stuffy corporate partnership.

Cordingly exposes the myths, e.g., walking the plank, buried treasure and even provides a fascinating history of the development of coins, the word 'pesos' apparently is directly derived from the Spanish for 'pieces of eight' as is 'escudos'.

A very interesting book if you enjoy history and loved the film, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' (Johnny Depp is closely modelled on Blackbeard). Well-balanced and well-written (apart from an annoying habit of using the word, 'which' instead of, 'that').

The naval & geography narrative is good, too. Cordingly describes the ships, brigantines and sloops lovingly and masterfully.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening reading
For anyone looking to acquire a sense of adventure or a history buff looking into this period of the great age of sail - this book is a must. Read more

Published on 14 Aug 2001 by lord_edwards

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
This book is a brilliant read. It details the history of pirates in a very well researched manner, but unlike a lot of historical books it is written in such a way that I did not... Read more

Published on 18 May 2000 by alistair@mcronald.com

5.0 out of 5 stars I have bought this book for four of my good friends, too.
I really loved this book. It not only turned me on to the true lives of pirates, but it's given me renewed faith in the idea that history books don't have to be boring and... Read more

Published on 20 May 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars Frustratingly lifeless
It is amazing that someone with as little interest in pirates (or, at least, in what interests other people about pirates) as Cordingly has could ever become such an expert on... Read more

Published on 15 Feb 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars The End-All Be-All of Pirate Books
This is truly the one source for pirate information. Written by the worlds leading authority on the subject this leaves no myth standing and no stone unturned. Read more

Published on 3 Feb 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars This was a very informative and interesting resource.
I used this book for a research project about pirates. i came up with some amazing information. The writing style is very engaging, making it very exciting book to read.

Published on 16 Dec 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
If you thought pirates lived glamorous lifestyles while hunting for loot and made their victims walk the plank, think again! And read this book! Read more

Published on 18 April 1998

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time!
To put it briefly, this book is a waste of money and more importantly, time!

Published on 23 Mar 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars I could be jaded...
"Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates" is mis-titled; it should be "Romance versus Reality". Read more

Published on 2 Jan 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fairly Thorough Book on 17th and 18th Century Piracy
This is a pretty thorough book on pirates and piracy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The risks of either being a pirate or serving as a sailor on a merchantman are discussed, as... Read more

Published on 20 Nov 1997

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	47% buy the item featured on this page: Under the Black Flag (Harvest Book) 4.4 out of 5 stars (13)
	14% buy The Mammoth Book of Pirates �5.97
	14% buy Life Among the Pirates: The Romance and the Reality 5.0 out of 5 stars (5) �6.97
	13% buy Pirates: A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates 5.0 out of 5 stars (3) �5.03

Under the Black Flag (Harvest Book) (Paperback)

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