It's easy to think of piracy as a romantic way of life long gone—if not for today's frightening headlines of robbery and kidnapping on the high seas. Pirates have existed since the invention of commerce itself, but they reached the zenith of their power during the 1600s, when the Mediterranean was the crossroads of the world and pirates were the scourge of Europe and the glory of Islam. They attacked ships, enslaved crews, plundered cargoes, enraged governments, and swayed empires, wreaking havoc from Gibraltar to the Holy Land and beyond. Historian and author Adrian Tinniswood brings alive this dynamic chapter in history, where clashes between pirates of the East (Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli) and governments of the West (England, France, Spain, and Venice) grew increasingly intense and dangerous. In vivid detail, Tinniswood recounts the brutal struggles, glorious triumphs, and enduring personalities of the pirates of the Barbary Coast, and how their maneuverings between the Muslim empires and Christian Europe shed light on the religious and moral battles that still rage today. As Tinniswood notes in Pirates of Barbary, "Pirates are history." In this fascinating and entertaining book, he reveals that the history of piracy is also the history that shaped our modern world.
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"This book lacked a certain amount of detail concerning the Arab/Barbary side to this story that I would have liked to hear about. Otherwise, I thought that its ability to place Barbary, their pirates, and slavers, in the broader context of a pre-national Europe was outstanding." — Sean (4 out of 5 stars)
"This book lacked a certain amount of detail concerning the Arab/Barbary side to this story that I would have liked to hear about. Otherwise, I thought that its ability to place Barbary, their pirates, and slavers, in the broader context of a pre-national Europe was outstanding."
Tinniswood gives us both a rollicking narrative and a rich brew of early modern maritime history.
“Bloody good entertainment.”
“Forget the pirates of the Caribbean: their Old World brethren were an altogether more colorful and fearsome lot, according to this swashbuckling study…Tinniswood gives us both a rollicking narrative and a rich brew of early modern maritime history.”
“For those who think of pirates as one-eyed rogues proclaiming ‘shiver me timbers’ while flying the Jolly Roger, this interesting and exciting work will be full of surprises.”
" I didn't really feel this book to much. The way things we described was boring. "
" The lack of a main character hampered the narrative for me, but the analysis of how religion and piracy intersected was excellent. "
" Dry, academic telling of an interesting story. I didn't get very far. "
" Fascinating account of some world history I knew nothing about. North African piracy on the Meditteranean and Atlantic in colonial times. "
" Detailed and carefully researched. "
" Enjoyable read with a lot of stuff. Did not flow as well as I would have liked, however Tinniswood brings a lot of things together...including the fact that history appears to repeat, and repeat itself. "
Adrian Tinniswood is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Verneys: A True Story of Love, War, and Madness in Seventeenth-Century England, which was short-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction. He is a consultant to Britain’s National Trust and is known on both sides of the Atlantic as a historian, author, lecturer, and broadcaster. He lives near Bath, England.
Clive Chafer is a professional actor, director, producer, and theater instructor. Originally from England and educated at Leeds and Exeter universities, he has performed and directed at many theaters in the San Francisco area, where he makes his home, and elsewhere in the US. In 1993 he founded TheatreFIRST, Oakland’s professional theater company, where he served as artistic director until 2008.
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