jjares reviewed The Top 10 Most Notorious Pirates: Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Captain Morgan, Grace O'Malley, Black Bart, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Henry Every and Howell Davis on + 3299 more book reviews
This book is generous with portraits of the various pirates and other important characters of the time. It was interesting to hear that there was a 'golden age of piracy' between 1650 and 1720. It would have been helpful to have an occasional map to be able to place each pirate's activities. It also would have been helpful if more of Kidd's (and other pirates') court cases had been paraphrased because the language was hard-to-understand.
I thought some of these stories were far too long and they used quotes from their contemporaries, which were often hard to understand. Frankly, this book exceeded my interest in the subject of pirates.
BLACKBEARD -- The opening chapter regarding the settling of and European powers' fighting over the New World was particularly interesting. Blackbeard was actually an Englishman named Edward Teach or Edward Thatch. He was a famous pirate over the West Indies and the eastern coast of North and South Carolina. He's the most famous of all the pirates of the time.
CAPTAIN KIDD -- A Scot who was commissioned by the government to raid and plunder enemy ships. However, his government had a change of heart about pirating and eventually captured and hanged Kidd. He is most famous for burying treasure; it's a stereotype of pirates now, but he is the only pirate known to have buried treasure.
 CAPTAIN MORGAN -- Henry Morgan, Welsh, was active in the mid-1600s. More is known about him than most pirates. He was known for his cunning and ability to do the impossible. He was also known to be one of the most bloodthirsty pirates afloat.Â
GRACE O'MALLEY -- (known as Granuaile) was an Irish queen and a rebel who defiantly fought to protect her home and their way of life against the English. She lived before the 'golden age of piracy' -- in the middle 1500s. She is definitely a fascinating character; she went toe-to-toe with Elizabeth I and earned Elizabeth's respect.
CALICO JACK -- An Englishman born in Cuba, little is known of him. He took over his captain's ship by leading a mutiny. He wasn't all that successful as a pirate but is famous for having 2 women as crew members -- Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
ANNE BONNY -- She was married and pregnant when she met Calico Jack, but that didn't stop the couple. She had that baby and left it with its father. Then she went on a ship with Calico Jack again. She did not die in prison, after her capture (with Calico Jack and Mary Read). Her father saved her and she married someone in South Carolina (at the age of 18 or 19) and had 10 more kids.
 MARY READ -- An English woman, often dressed in men's clothes and was known as Mark Read. She had a very difficult life; she worked aboard a ship as a sailor and was captured by Calico Rackman Jack. He turned her into a pirate; later, when she had a chance to leave, she stayed. On Calico Jack's ship, she met and befriended Anne Bonny. Mary's pirate career ended in October 1720 when Jack, Anne, and Mary were captured. Mary was not hanged because she was pregnant. She died in a Jamaican prison of a fever.
HENRY EVERY -- (aka John Avery or Jack Avery) was an English pirate who darkened the waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans during the 1690s. He made one big score ( the treasure ship the Grand Mughal of India) and retired. He was one of the few major pirates who captured a huge haul without dying in battle or being captured. However, the pirates committed atrocities against the Muslims they captured on that treasure ship. Unlike many pirates, Every preferred to go against hapless civilians instead of attacking armed ships. Every also created the skull and crossbones flag, which he placed on a red background.
HOWELL DAVIS -- This was probably the unluckiest of the pirates because he was only a pirate for about one year before he was killed during a battle. A Welshman, he induced John Roberts (who became Black Bart) to join him pirating and lost his life during a fight, leaving Black Bart as captain.
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BLACK BART -- This Welshman was the most successful pirate of all. He captured more than 400 ships in about 3 years. Singlehandedly, he crippled trade between the Americas and the West Indies. In 1722, he was killed by a broadside (grapeshot) while trying to escape another ship's deadly broadside fire.  His death shocked the pirate world as well as the British Navy.Â
I thought some of these stories were far too long and they used quotes from their contemporaries, which were often hard to understand. Frankly, this book exceeded my interest in the subject of pirates.
BLACKBEARD -- The opening chapter regarding the settling of and European powers' fighting over the New World was particularly interesting. Blackbeard was actually an Englishman named Edward Teach or Edward Thatch. He was a famous pirate over the West Indies and the eastern coast of North and South Carolina. He's the most famous of all the pirates of the time.
CAPTAIN KIDD -- A Scot who was commissioned by the government to raid and plunder enemy ships. However, his government had a change of heart about pirating and eventually captured and hanged Kidd. He is most famous for burying treasure; it's a stereotype of pirates now, but he is the only pirate known to have buried treasure.
 CAPTAIN MORGAN -- Henry Morgan, Welsh, was active in the mid-1600s. More is known about him than most pirates. He was known for his cunning and ability to do the impossible. He was also known to be one of the most bloodthirsty pirates afloat.Â
GRACE O'MALLEY -- (known as Granuaile) was an Irish queen and a rebel who defiantly fought to protect her home and their way of life against the English. She lived before the 'golden age of piracy' -- in the middle 1500s. She is definitely a fascinating character; she went toe-to-toe with Elizabeth I and earned Elizabeth's respect.
CALICO JACK -- An Englishman born in Cuba, little is known of him. He took over his captain's ship by leading a mutiny. He wasn't all that successful as a pirate but is famous for having 2 women as crew members -- Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
ANNE BONNY -- She was married and pregnant when she met Calico Jack, but that didn't stop the couple. She had that baby and left it with its father. Then she went on a ship with Calico Jack again. She did not die in prison, after her capture (with Calico Jack and Mary Read). Her father saved her and she married someone in South Carolina (at the age of 18 or 19) and had 10 more kids.
 MARY READ -- An English woman, often dressed in men's clothes and was known as Mark Read. She had a very difficult life; she worked aboard a ship as a sailor and was captured by Calico Rackman Jack. He turned her into a pirate; later, when she had a chance to leave, she stayed. On Calico Jack's ship, she met and befriended Anne Bonny. Mary's pirate career ended in October 1720 when Jack, Anne, and Mary were captured. Mary was not hanged because she was pregnant. She died in a Jamaican prison of a fever.
HENRY EVERY -- (aka John Avery or Jack Avery) was an English pirate who darkened the waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans during the 1690s. He made one big score ( the treasure ship the Grand Mughal of India) and retired. He was one of the few major pirates who captured a huge haul without dying in battle or being captured. However, the pirates committed atrocities against the Muslims they captured on that treasure ship. Unlike many pirates, Every preferred to go against hapless civilians instead of attacking armed ships. Every also created the skull and crossbones flag, which he placed on a red background.
HOWELL DAVIS -- This was probably the unluckiest of the pirates because he was only a pirate for about one year before he was killed during a battle. A Welshman, he induced John Roberts (who became Black Bart) to join him pirating and lost his life during a fight, leaving Black Bart as captain.
Â
BLACK BART -- This Welshman was the most successful pirate of all. He captured more than 400 ships in about 3 years. Singlehandedly, he crippled trade between the Americas and the West Indies. In 1722, he was killed by a broadside (grapeshot) while trying to escape another ship's deadly broadside fire.  His death shocked the pirate world as well as the British Navy.Â
