BookFronter
The Pirate Wars by Peter Earle

The Pirate Wars

Peter Earle

St. Martin's Press · Print & ebook · June 27, 2006

A History pick for readers exploring The Pirate Wars.

Naval HistoryMaritime History & Piracy18th-Century Historyhistory
More
biographybiographieshistorical
Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
Readers interested in piracy's history across the centuries.
Themes
Piracy across the centuries, Pirate legend versus violent reality, Naval campaigns against piracy
Genres
Maritime History & Piracy, Naval History, 18th-Century History

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: Maritime History & Piracy.

  1. Ghost Pirates and OthersWilliam Hope Hodgson, Jeremy Lassen49% match
  2. The Buccaneers of AmericaJohn Esquemeling, Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin70% match
  3. The Outlaw SeaWilliam Langewiesche61% match
  4. The Wide Wide SeaHampton Sides54% matchAlso shares 18th-Century History
  5. Born to Be HangedKeith Thomson77% matchAlso shares Naval History
  6. Under the Black FlagDavid Cordingly76% matchAlso shares Naval History
  7. Black Flags, Blue WatersEric Jay Dolin, Paul Brion76% matchAlso shares 18th-Century History
  8. The Republic of PiratesColin Woodard74% match

For younger readers: The Whydah: a Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found, The Buccaneers, Never Never-villains, Book 9

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

Investigating the fascination pirates hold over the popular imagination, Peter Earle takes the fable of ocean-going Robin Hoods sailing under the "banner of King Death" and contrasts it with the murderous reality of robbery, torture and death and the freedom of a short, violent life on the high seas. The Pirate Wars charts 250 years of piracy, from Cornwall to the Caribbean, from the 16th century to the hanging of the last pirate captain in Boston in 1835.

Continue reading

Along the way, we meet characters like Captain Thomas Cocklyn, chosen as commander of his ship "on account of his brutality and ignorance," and Edward Teach, the notorious "Blackbeard," who felt of his crew "that if he did not now and then kill one of them they would forget who he was." Using material from British Admiralty records, this is an account of the Golden Age of pirates and of the men of the legitimate navies of the world charged with the task of finally bringing these cutthroats to justice.

Who it’s for

  • Readers interested in piracy's history across the centuries.
  • Readers curious about the gap between pirate legend and reality.

Where it sits

Maritime History & Piracy99%
Naval History54%
18th-Century History35%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Naval History
  • Maritime History & Piracy
Authors
Peter Earle
Publisher
St. Martin's Press
Published
June 27, 2006
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Piracy across the centuries · Pirate legend versus violent reality · Naval campaigns against piracy
Reading lane
Naval History