Book Review:

The Pirates Own Book:
Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers

Originally published in an extremely rare 1837 volume, these delightfully melodramatic yet true stories of the diabolical desperadoes who plundered the ships of the high seas detail the lives, atrocities, and exploits of such infamous pirates as Black Beard, Jean Lafitte, Robert Kidd, Edward Low, and Anne Bonney.

Based on actual documents, recounts in lurid detail the life, atrocities and bloody death of the infamous Black Beard as well as the cold-blooded exploits of Jean Lafitte, Robert Kidd, Edward Low, Thomas White, Anne Bonney, Mary Read and scores of other maritime marauders. Enhanced with over 70 atmospheric wood engravings. Introduction. xv + 479pp.

Although the facts within this book are often wildly inaccurate and written like a modern tabloid, but this is exactly the kind of exaggerated information that much of the modern day Pirate legends came from.

This book, along with it's wonderful collection of 77 woodcut images succeeds in conveying the image of the Pirates that most people envision: Bold, Brave, dangerous, and larger than life.

This is a definite must read for any Pirate enthusiast.