Pirates & Privateers: Pat Croce's Books

From 1690 to 1730 – a mere forty years – the greatest number of pirates prey on ships navigating the high seas. This “golden age” produces some of the best-known pirates, although their exploits have since intermingled with romanticism and legend. Within the pages of this interactive book, Pat Croce (founder of the Pirate Soul Museum originally in Key West, Florida) recaps this period in piratical history. Among the topics covered are Port Royal and Madagascar – two of the most notorious pirate havens – ships, reasons for going on the account, life at sea, tactics, Jolly Rogers, punishments, and pirates in pop culture. A “Rogues Gallery of Legendary Pirates” completes this introduction with Sir Francis Drake, Sir Henry Morgan, Captain William Kidd, Henry Every, Thomas Tew, Benjamin Hornigold, Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny, “Calico” Jack Rackham, Mary Read, Major Stede Bonnet, George Lowther, Edward Low, and Bartholomew “Black Bart” Roberts.

Earlier this year, John Matthews came out with an interactive book for children entitled Pirates. Croce’s book is a treasure-filled exploration aimed at adults. Your journey begins when you “unlock” the clasp that closes the book and ends when you unseal the envelope at the end of Pirate Soul to reveal a replica of the Jolly Roger on display at the museum. (This is one of only two known, authentic, pirate flags to exist today.) In between, you can read and hold various proclamations and documents, maps, a glossary, pirate articles, and playing cards. You can also feel the quill of an 18th-century pen, the grittiness of black powder, or the knots in a cat-o’-nine-tails.

Inside
look at page from Pirate Soul (used with
permission)

Colorful artwork and photographs of artifacts, like Thomas Tew’s treasure chest, further enhance this journey to the past. Although the print is small, Croce packs a lot of information into his introduction. Combined with the visual and hands-on experiences for the reader, Pirate Soul is a true rogue’s treasure. A worthy addition to any self-respecting pirate’s library, and as promised in the title, a rousing swashbuckling introduction to the golden age of piracy.