For some reason, I have a hankering to read about Pirates. Recommend me some classic pirate novels, or good, readable nonfiction (biographies of famous pirates, or books that focus on one pirate ship or crew would be preferable to surveys, but I’m open minded).
Incidentally, I’ve already read Treasure Island six or seven times.
Tim Powers On Stranger Tides
Under the Black Flag
Captain Blood by Raphael Sabatini
George Macdonald Fraser’s “The Pyrates,” being a mix of historical and swashbuckling-movie pirates. Very funny.
I second Under the Black Flag. Very readable and as you might tell from the subtitle, Cordingly does a pretty good job of separating the myth from the fact about pirates and piracy.
Poking around Project Gutenberg, I came across The Pirates Own Book by Charles Ellms. It was written in 1837 as a collection of individual pirate tales. Because of it’s age, you can read the entire text online. If you must have a physical copy, Amazon carries it (and the reviews there explain the book better than I could). It purports to be factual, but how much is history and how much is legend is hard to say. An interesting read, nonetheless.
Thanks, all. I read Captain Blood. It’s one of the classics, right up there with Treasure Island, and brings up memories of staying up way past my bedtime to read. Anyway, the library had the nonfiction book so I’ll pick it up. They have the Fraser book too, but it’s checked out. Maybe it’ll be available by the time I read the other one.
They don’t have Tim Power’s book, but if my thirst isn’t quenched by the time I’ve read these two, I might order it. I’ve read and liked some of his sci fi.
A General History of the Robberies & Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates by Captain Charles Johnson was first published some time around 1724 and isn’t a bad read. A lot of what you read about individual pirates like Blackbeard and Mary Read cite this book as a source.
Pirates: An Illustrated History by Nigel Cawthrone has some nice descriptions of pirate life and pretty pictures.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is still the gold standard for fictional pirate novels. If you haven’t read it then do yourself a favor and do so.
Marc
If you’re looking for funny:
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Ahab
Good stuff.