PDF Black Flag of the North Bartholomew Roberts King of the Atlantic Pirates Victor Suthren 9781459736009 Books

Product details Paperback 176 pages Publisher Dundurn (August 4, 2018) Language English ISBN-10 1459736001

Black Flag of the North Bartholomew Roberts King of the Atlantic Pirates Victor Suthren 9781459736009 Books Reviews

• Victor Suthren, author of “Black Flag of the North,” is the author of fourteen books, mainly historical non-fiction and sea adventure novels. A noted authority on the maritime experience, his recounting of the pirate era has a ring of authenticity using a solid foundation of extensive research. Make no mistake. These buccaneers that frolicked joyfully while defying the hardships and dangers of shipboard life were indeed criminals; plundering, stealing, burning, and either killing or capturing the crews of ships that belonged to others.
  
  There was a vast difference of serving aboard government or commercial vessels and pirate ships. Usually a lack of discipline and certain freedoms of behavior were allowed aboard the vessels of buccaneers. Suthren spends a lot of time exploring those differences and they are considerable. Most notable were the spoils that were shared by piratical crews and the lack of a commissioned leader to administer strict discipline. The unfortunate conditions aboard, mainly uncomfortable quarters and lack of food and water, were suffered by all who chose the sea, whether military, commercial, or pirate. But pirates were noted for their boisterous behavior, drinking, and womanizing while ashore. In the end, that loose behavior closed the golden age of piracy.
  
  Barthholomew Roberts, or Black Bart, as he became to be known, the subject of most of the book, was very successful in his brief reign, capturing over 400 vessels between 1719 and 1722. Most of the time he was not the brutal, dictatorial captain most pirate commanders are alleged to have been. He was tall and handsome, noble in his bearing, somewhat a dandy in his dress, and a skilled navigator. He was somewhat beneficent in his handling of captured vessels, although he never failed to extract every bit of loot that was available. He also tended towards violent retribution against those who tried to deceive him.
  
  In February of 1722 during a monumental tropical storm off the African coast, Roberts’ brief career came to an end. As he attempted to outrun a British warship, an artillery broadside struck his vessel and he was nearly beheaded by grapeshot and debris. His ship was captured and most of his crew executed by British authorities.
  
  I found this book to be most interesting and an entertaining read. The author is adept at bringing the seagoing atmosphere to life. His depictions of the lusty life of the pirate revive colorful images so often depicted in modern media and storybooks, yet the reader is reminded that it was not all jolly and lighthearted pleasure. Interesting account from a gifted historian.
  
  Schuyler T Wallace
  Author of TIN LIZARD TALES