The Pirate Wars

This is an outstanding overview of the struggle between the pirate rovers of the high seas and the government navies charged with protecting national trade. While Earle is clear at the outset that his own sympathies are fairly firmly with the navies (and the English Navy most of all) he manages to spin enough yarns of derring-do to excite the pirate lover as well. An added bonus was Earle's fairly extensive treatment of the oft-ignored pirates of the Barbary Coast. I'd read a great deal about the Carribbean rogues, but some of the Barbary variety made them seem like docile bunnies.

I enjoyed the information in this book, but I found it to be a dry read most of the time. Earle does a good job covering the rise and reasons behind the three major eras of piracy in the Mediterannian and Altlantic seas. But the new part of this history for me was the account of European and, later, American responses to piracy. Generally, the pirates get all the treatment in histories, and Earle provides a look at their unsung opponents and the troubles and victories they had. While there are some issues with some of the history (like continuing the myths about poor Capt. Kidd), the main issue I had was that very little excitement came at me off the page. It read like a standard history book, so while I was very interested in the material itself, the writing could have used a bit more "oomph". Still, the material, and its perspective on the pirate hunters, certainly makes this a must read for any fan of this part of history.

I have read and reviewed a number of books on pirates and piracy and find this one to be among the jewels of the bunch. It is readable, informative and even, at times, entertaining. The author's premise for the book is that much of western civilization had been waging a war with pirates for hundreds of years, culminating in the eventual decline and virtual elimination of these renegades from western seas in the early to mid 19th century. Peter Earle takes us through the history of pirates in those seas, from the origins to the eventual demise. Along the way he spreads a web of tales and stories, supported by research that should entertain many a reader that would otherwise find history a dry meal. The author's recounting of the history is reasonably linear beginning in the 16th century and progressing steadily forward in time frame. By necessity, it seems, much of the author's work centers on English and related history, although he does step off the standard fair of Golden Age pirates often enough that even a knowledgeable reader will find something new in the way of pirate fact. There is little or no illustration; my one complaint, surely a few maps were warranted in the least. The bibliography, however, is a thing of delight, to be mused over in the constant search for new sources. My bottom line is that while I have a few books that are nearer my heart, there are not many that I have found as encompassing or informative as this one. I recommend Pirates in the Caribbean :1493-1720 by Cruz Apestegui as an excellent source for the Spanish side of the Golden Age of Piracy, and Angus Konstam's History of Pirates for a glossy overview of piracy. P-)

Although piracy has been in existence for millennia and in many parts of the world, the author mainly concentrates on piracy in the Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean over a period of about 230 years, culminating in the 1830s. Rather than presenting various mini-biographies of famous pirates, or dwelling on the finer details of pirate life, the author has chosen to present a more sweeping picture of piracy, i.e., the big picture. Different types of pirates are discussed, as are the reasons for the ups and downs in pirate activity over the years and the many efforts to eradicate them. The book is clearly written and, although quite authoritative and heavily referenced, it is also quite exciting. The only unfortunate downside to this book is its complete lack of maps and figures. A few of each would have been very useful to complement the text, e.g., illustrations of the different types of ships and the geographical areas in which various pirates operated. Despite this minor drawback, this is an excellent book that should appeal to both history buffs and pirate lovers alike.

What a delight! A respected academic who can write with zip and zest. Peter Earle likes pirates to a fond degree, and he makes that clear in his entertaining introduction gently poking fun at modern writers who prefer political correctness to accuracy (Bad news, fairly few pirates were disabled lesbians of colour). From there it steps lively, shipmates, and keeps going. Nobody writes novels any more entertaining than Dr Earle's command of history. Most pirates began as merchant seamen or privateers, given letters of marque by governments, permitting them to ravage the shipping of the government's enemies or competitors. So they got trained at taxpayer expense then began to bite the hand that fed it. But then they had a lot of fun when they got ashore. Rather, if they got ashore, because governments spent a lot trying to get their rascals back on a leash or send them to the bottom of D Jones' Locker.Parenthetically, it reminds one of today's problems of terrorism, since the terrorists (like the pirates) were trained by governments to attack enemies, and only later they 'went bad.' Think of how many terrorists received US or Pakistani or Saudi training, weapons and money to help Afghans battle the Soviets. The terrorists, however, seem less endearing and less easily distracted by wine and wenching and gold doubloons. Pirates, however, captured the world's imagination from the start.Pirate Wars is good enough to warrant buying two copies, one to read and then lend, and one never to lend at all -- I keep mine safely locked in a sea-chest with my pieces of eight. Arrrrrr. Load the blunderbuss, Mister Hands! Hoist the mainsail! Tie that dog to the yardarm!