 Pirates and Privateers
The History of Maritime
Piracy
Cindy Vallar, Editor
& Reviewer
P.O. Box 425,
Keller, TX 76244-0425
Books for Adults ~ Biography:
Pirates, Privateers, & Pirate Hunters
History: Piracy
The
Pirate Coast
Pirate Hunter
The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines,
and the Secret Mission of 1805
by Richard Zacks
Hyperion, 2005, ISBN 1-4013-0003-0, US $25.95
also available in other formats
When
the United States gains its independence from
England, American sailing vessels become
vulnerable to seizure by the Barbary corsairs. For
a time, the government negotiates treaties and
pays tribute money to the rulers of the countries
of North Africa to protect trade in the
Mediterranean. In 1801, Tripoli declares war
against the United States. When the USS Philadelphia
runs aground and her officers and men become
slaves, President Thomas Jefferson enlists William
Eaton and a small contingent of Marines to
undertake a daring secret mission that results in
the American flag being planted in foreign soil
for the first time. The details of what happened
are long forgotten, but the deed itself is forever
immortalized in the "Marines' Hymn."
The
Pirate Coast details the events that led up
to the secret mission and the arduous journey to
see it through, the diplomatic negotiations that
endangered Eaton and his men, the details and
effect of the new peace treaty, and the eventual
downfall of the Barbary corsairs. At the same
time, Zacks interweaves accounts from the men of
the Philadelphia during their captivity
in Tripoli.
Zacks presents a readable and intricate tale of
America’s first covert mission on foreign soil.
Readers experience Eaton’s frustration and anger
at ineptitude and duplicity, as well as the hope
and joy of the men from the Philadelphia after
Stephan Decatur and his team blow up the ship.
Review Copyright ©2005 Cindy
Vallar
The Pirate Hunter: the True Story of Captain Kidd
By Richard Zacks
Hyperion, 2002, ISBN 0-7868-6533-4, $25.95 US/ $36.95
CAN
Was William
Kidd a blackhearted pirate? Or was he a
respected mariner licensed to hunt
pirates? Was he guilty of murder and
piracy? Or was he the victim of
circumstance and political maneuvering?
Author Richard Zacks searched for truth
amidst legend to ascertain the real Kidd
and how he came to hang for murder and
piracy.
In the last decade of the 17th century,
Kidd embarked on a mission to hunt pirates
in the Indian Ocean. Several powerful men
in New York and London backed this
privateering venture. Contrary to their
terms, Kidd altered the articles of
agreement in order to acquire a crew for
his ship, Adventure Galley. In
doing so, he set in motion a chain of
events that drastically altered his life.
Fate, pride, and a rogue named Robert
Culliford added cruel, ironic twists to
further impede Kidd. Three years after he
set sail from New York, Kidd returned to
discover the government considered him a
pirate. His attempts to clear his good
name came to naught and on 23 May 1701, he
was hanged at Execution Dock in London.
This well-researched historical account
about Captain William Kidd goes far beyond
a rendering of the facts. Zacks brings to
life historical personages long dead and
recreates New York and London of the 1690s
and 1700s. He provides enlightening
glimpses into the world of pirates, the
machinations of those with power and
wealth versus those without, the injustice
of the Admiralty courts of the era, and
the festive atmosphere of public hangings.
Engrossing and entertaining, The
Pirate Hunter reads like a novel
with well-developed characters and plot
twists to hold the reader in suspense
until the last page is turned.
Review Copyright ©2002 Cindy
Vallar
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