 Pirates and Privateers
The History of Maritime
Piracy
Cindy Vallar, Editor
& Reviewer
P.O. Box 425,
Keller, TX 76244-0425
Books for Adults ~ History: Piracy
Modern Piracy
Modern
Piracy
Pirates of
the Americas
Modern Piracy: A Reference
Handbook
by David F. Marley
ABC-Clio, 2011, ISBN 978-1-59884-433-7, US $55.00
Also available in other formats
From a
historical perspective to an analysis of piracy in
such places as the Strait of Malacca and the Horn of
Africa, Modern Piracy examines how this
crime resurfaced, the complexities of the problem
facing those involved, and possible solutions to end
it.
Chapter 1:
Background and History
This chapter provides a
brief historical perspective, a textbook example
of an attack, and the seven trends that have
contributed to this upsurge.
Chapter 2:
Problems, Controversies, and Solutions
The focus here is on
additional factors that lead to repeated attempts,
detailed accounts of the hot spots, strategic
difficulties encountered, how attacks in the
Strait of Malacca have lessened, and what needs to
be done to reach successful solutions.
Chapter 3:
Special U.S. Issues
With particular
emphasis on Somalia, this looks at issues facing
American forces, as well as how American
intervention in the region has impacted the
present situation. The recent attack on Maersk
Alabama is also examined.
Chapter 4:
Chronology
This list of important
dates with brief annotations concerns maritime
piracy in modern times. It includes milestones
associated with this crime’s evolution and a
sampling of attacks, rather than a comprehensive
listing of events.
Chapter 5:
Biographical Sketches
Some of the major and
minor players involved in piracy are introduced.
Chapter 6: Data
and Documents
Here one finds various
tables of data and statistics, as well as official
documents, concerning piracy at sea.
Chapter 7:
Directory of Organizations
This is an annotated
listing of organizations that fight piracy.
Chapter 8:
Resources
This is a
cross-sampling of the references Marley either
consulted or quoted from. It is divided into
General Studies and Overviews, Background and
History, International Law, Southeast Asia,
Somalia and the Horn of Africa, Nigeria, the Sirius
Star Seizure, and the Maersk Alabama
Incident.
Each chapter begins with
a relevant quote from someone connected to piracy.
Those chapters covering a variety of related topics
sometimes include a summary. With the exception of
the last, all of them include a list of sources. The
book ends with a glossary and index.
Marley’s astute analysis of the many facets of
maritime piracy makes this an important reference
tool for anyone wanting to study the topic. For
example, he shows how the end of World War II
eventually opened the doors for piracy to re-emerge
– a topic rarely covered in other texts on the
subject. Unlike other writers, he also points out
that Nigerian piracy really isn’t piracy, but rather
assaults and robberies, because of where these
attacks occur.
This is a compelling and succinct examination of the
controversies governments and organizations face
when trying to combat this upsurge. Throughout the
text, quotes from pirates and those who combat the
problem enrich the reader’s learning experience. Modern
Piracy is one of the most comprehensive and
up-to-date analyses on the topic ever published.
Review
Copyright ©2011 Cindy Vallar
Pirates of the Americas
by David F. Marley
ABC-CLIO, 2010, ISBN 978-1-59884-201-2, US
$180.00 / UK £124.95
Soon after I began
writing about pirates and
privateers, I added what has
become a cherished treasure
to my library. Marley’s Pirates
and Privateers of the
Americas (1994) was
the most comprehensive,
authoritative biographical
dictionary of the buccaneers
and some of their friends
and enemies. It also
incorporated explanations of
key terms from the period,
the second half of the 17th
century. But this resource
had two problems: it only
covered the buccaneers, and
it’s been out of print for
many years.
Marley
has compiled a new
authoritative and must-have
resource, one that far
surpasses the original
edition. Pirates of the
Americas is comprised
of two volumes. The first
covers 1650 to 1685, while
the second encompasses 1685
to 1725. Not only are the
buccaneers covered, but so
are the pirates of the
golden age. Other entries
cover terminology, important
places, friends and enemies,
and other pertinent details
often mentioned but rarely
elaborated on.
As
before, each article ends
with references, many of
them from primary documents,
such as the Calendar of
State Papers, and
other articles within Pirates
of the Americas where
the reader will find
additional information. This
new, expanded set goes
further to enhance the
reading experience. Now,
each volume includes an
alphabetical list of all
entries in the books. While
this offers a quick
reference tool for finding
out whether a subject is
included, the list doesn’t
identify which volume
contains the topic. For that
information, the reader
either thumbs through the
pages until locating the
needed entry or consults the
index, found in each volume,
which identifies the page
numbers containing the
subject.
Another
enhancement is the inclusion
of period quotations at the
start of each letter of the
alphabet. Sidebars provide
information pertinent to an
entry – such as “Naval
Uniforms” or the ships,
guns, men, and captains of
vessels taking part in a
campaign – maps, and
illustrations.
If
an entry pertains to a
person, the dates in which
he/she was active or was
born and died are included.
If there’s a significant
amount of information about
the person, such as in the
case of Sir Henry Morgan,
subheadings break down the
entrant’s career. Entries
can run as short as a single
paragraph or as long as
fourteen pages. Early on,
the nationality of the
person is pointed out,
making it easier to
determine a person’s country
of origin. Some entries
include portraits of the
person.
Each
volume concludes with a
sampling of documents
pertaining to the period.
Volume I includes Edward
Gibbons’s letter of
reprisal, an announcement
suspending Spanish
privateering commissions,
and an account of the
explosion aboard Morgan’s
flagship, Oxford.
Volume II contains Thomas
Tew’s covenant with his
crew, an encounter with
Blackbeard, and a mock
pirate trial. An extensive
chronology of events and
bibliography, a glossary,
and a comprehensive index
follow these documents.
Not
every pirate who sailed the
waters of the Americas
during these years is
included in Pirates of
the America. Notably
absent are Anne Bonny and
Mary Read. The price is also
a hindrance. In spite of
these minor issues, this is
an amazing treasure trove of
information for researchers,
historians, libraries, and
pirate aficionados willing
to part with those precious
pieces of eight.
Review
Copyright ©2010 Cindy Vallar
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