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Underground > Books, Criticism & Writing >

Pirates!

Locust No longer

16:23 / 13.11.03

Hey, can anyone recommend books about Pirates? Non fiction and fiction. I've had a large desire to read some good pirate stories.

18:55 / 13.11.03

Pirate Book web resource, far as I can tell...

Arrrr, knock yerself out...

19:10 / 13.11.03

Pretty much considered to be the definitive work on piracy is A General History of the Robberies and Murder of the Most Notorious Pyrates by Captain Charles Johnson, which was written in 1724. Almost everything now considered pirate lore comes from this one book, although Mr Johnson - now thought to be a pseudonym (of Daniel Defoe by some) - does have a tendency to exaggerate.

20:04 / 13.11.03

I finished David Cordingly's Under A Black Flag a month back. It's a nice, feet-wet primer but damn if it doesn't bounce ALL over the place within the realm of historical piracy and Hollywood/metaphorical pirates.

at the scarwash

01:05 / 14.11.03

Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood, dude. THE pirate novel.

08:06 / 14.11.03

cities of the red night and the other one, western lands is it? boy-gun-gay-drug-lizard-virus-pirates of the most anarchic order.

Ghost Daybreaker

08:36 / 14.11.03

On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. Voodoo, Zombies, Pirates. It's quite excellent. It's also out of print I believe.

We're The Great Old Ones Now

09:48 / 14.11.03

Conan Doyle wrote about Captain Sharkey. "Tales of Pirates and Blue Water" and "The Dealings of Captain Sharkey" and assorted other collections of the Sharkey stories can be had from second hand booksellers across the web. I don't think there's currently a modern in-print edition, although there may be soon.

It's funny that Conan Doyle is famous for Sherlock Holmes - arguably, much of his best writing is in Brigadier Gerard, Sharkey, and several other collections which many people don't know exist.

10:27 / 14.11.03

What about "Pirate Utopias" by Peter Lamborn Wilson (aka Hakim Bey)? I think he was originally inspired to do this research by Burroughs mentioning pirate enclaves, looking for histoical antecendants to his idea of the Temporary Autonmous Zone.

The reviews make it sound fascinating: "During the period concerned (from the 16th to the 19th century),several thousand European Renegadoes renounced Christianity to join the pirate "jihad".In Wilson's view,only a few had been forced to convert,but the majority may have chosen Islam in order to practise social resistance."

Hmm. Think I'll be buying this.

Ex

12:35 / 14.11.03

"Bold in her Breeches" - Lady pirates. Oh yes.

12:38 / 14.11.03

I can access old pirate pamphlets and sometimes print copies from microfilm if anyone wants them. I remember in particular a 1609 news relation on Pirates Danseker & Ward. The Algerian pirates frequently crop up in the stuff I am reading as well.

I have a big black book called, I think, Pirates! which I am intending to donate to Stoatie...

17:22 / 14.11.03

The Scar by China Mieville. Pirates, a giant pirate ship composed of other pirated ships, a possiblity sword and a mutiny. What more can you ask for?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

12:21 / 15.11.03

K-CC, you so rock.

I read a fantastic book recently called "Hunting Pirate Heaven" by Kevin Rushby. It's basically a travel book- Mr Rushby became obsessed with the idea of the "pirate utopias" set up by Captains Misson et al, and went round the world trying to find them. It's very, very good. Rushby has an obvious love for pirate stories that just SO makes you wish you were there with him. And he meets some total fucking nutters on the way.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

12:23 / 15.11.03

Oh and, of course, The Scar, as guinine said. Think Perdido Street Station (and if you haven't read it, then think "why not?") and add pirates. Other than Gibson's Bridge or Moominvalley, the fictional world I most wanna live in is The Scar's floating pirate city. Oh yes.

10:38 / 16.11.03

Predictably - The Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb: Ship of Magic, The Mad Ship, and Ship of Destiny.

14:11 / 12.12.03

For a more light weight kind of fantasy genre take on pirates: Corsair by Chris Bunch, I got this out the library and thought it was a fairly entertaining bubblegum read y'know. Not likely to change your life but a good way to spend a couple of hours

09:51 / 03.12.05

Can I recommend Gideon Defoe's two slim volumes:
Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists
and
Pirates! in an Adventure with Whaling
They're not at all serious and provide many a chuckle.

11:32 / 03.12.05

The Confusion by Neal Stephenson features a sort of pirate crew.

19:07 / 03.12.05

Sabatini! Yes, the 'Sea Hawk' and 'Captain Blood' guy, that Sabatini!
William Goldman's very cool but occasionally non-piratey 'Princess Bride'.
Mike Moorcock's got a number of goodies, but for a taste, pick up the novel-sculpted-from-short-story-collection 'Fabulous Harbours' which contains, yes, a very excellent pirate tale involving bad love, high romance, betrayal, rage, and the discovery of the Wandering Gentile.
But, mostly, Sabatini.

19:11 / 03.12.05

And, what the hell, Kathy Acker's 'Pussy: King of the Pirates' 'cause it's definitely about pirates, fun, and pretty damned good.
Also, Neal Stephenson had some very excellent pirating going on in 'Snow Crash'.

trouser the trouserian

15:38 / 06.12.05

How's about Hans Turley's Rum, Sodomy and the Lash - still a few copies left at Unsworths off New Oxford Street. Despite the intriguing title, it's a bit dry though.

13:04 / 07.12.05

I second Sabatini; "Captain Blood" is excellent.
George MacDonald Fraser's "The Pyrates!" is a more light hearted pirate novel, almost a pastiche in fact. It has everything that a pirate book should have.
Robert E. Howard did a few pirate tales, collected in (I think) “Black Vulmea’s Vengeance” which is classic Howard, with all his strengths and weaknesses, but with pirates, so you can't lose.

Ex

15:12 / 07.12.05

I've just read two children's pirate novels with stirring bold-breeched heroines, Piratica by Tanith Lee and Pirates! by Celia Rees. I was a bit disapointed by both, but favour the former.
Rees had obviously done research, and there were some nice gory touches, and discussions of slavery and trade and the like. But the whole thing didn't really enchant or surprise me.
Lee was more fanciful, but I liked its fairytale frivolity. Piratica has a cast of theatrical pirates attempting to make it as the real thing on the High Seas.

Aaaargh there any other kids or YA novels that people have read? I must also mention The Great Piratical Rumbustification, a very short kid's book by Margaret Mahy which has very little to do with the High Seas but has a bunch of retired pirates throwing a huge party. It comes in a volume with another story about robbers and librarians, so it's an ideal Christmas present for a librarian who's always wanted to be a pirate, or a robber, or trice versa.