Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates Paperback – September 17, 2019

As one who greatly enjoyed (and learned from) Eric Jay Dolin’s previous books on whaling (Leviathan), the American fur trade (Fur, Fortune, and Empire), lighthouses (Brilliant Beacons), and (especially) the China trade (When America First Met China), I have been looking forward to his new book on American piracy. Black Flags does not disappoint.Like many, my knowledge of pirates was based primarily on movies (Disney, Peter Pan, etc.) and works of fiction (Treasure Island, etc.). I knew very little about the “real story” of piracy and its role in Colonial American history. Black Flags provides a fascinating introduction to the growth and decline of the “piracy industry,” with a focus on its (often colorful) participants. The reader will learn about the not-so-glamorous, often violent, realities of the lives of those who were involved in this trade off the coast of America during the seventeenth and early eighteenth century.Dolin is a great story teller, with an ability to blend tales of individual pirates with an explanation of the reasons for the growth of piracy during the colonial era. He explains how and why piracy became a viable (though not always profitable) way of life for many, and the evolving attitudes about the role of pirates on American life. As a New England resident, I was surprised to learn about the amount of pirate activity in this region during the Colonial period, and the often symbiotic relationship between pirates, government officials, and the citizens of the American colonies.Black Flags is first rate scholarship, and Dolin is to be commended for his impressive research, given the lack of first-hand accounts of those involved in pirate activities. Unlike studies of whaling or naval history, pirates rarely (if ever) recorded their activities in logbooks or journals. The pirate industry certainly produced no Melville, no Richard Henry Dana, to provide an “inside look” at the daily life aboard pirate ships. Yet, the author has been able to put together a fascinating description of the lives of pirates – and the reasons for their involvement in the trade.Black Flags is richly illustrated throughout with copies of old prints and engravings of the people, places, and ships described in the text, along with numerous maps. In summary, Dolan’s book is a fascinating, entertaining look into the realities of a topic many know of – but typically know little about. Highly recommended!

Really fun read. I enjoyed it. Some chapter were kinda boring but I really liked all the stories and tales! Overall great book

I am a big fan of Eric Jay Dolin’s books. This book, like his others, offers well-researched historical details and is cleverly composed, such that it remains both informative and interesting throughout!

Fun real pirate history

The media could not be loaded. I bought this book to complement my growing collection of Golden Age Piracy related readings and a hope to gain some more knowledge on the subject or if nothing else another take on the subject.I enjoyed Dolin's work on this and appreciated that given his background I felt I could trust what I read to be credible and backed by solid research and objective views. Dolin does an incredible job covering the Golden Age of Piracy in a thoughtful manner aimed at the the pleasure of the reader in it's design and composition. Most of the popular and well known pirates are covered and their basic backgrounds and even some intimate details not covered in other writings. This is a good read for someone new to the subject or even someone more advanced as Dolin offers similar information you may have received but allows you to view it from a different angle given his use of providing why and how he may have came to a conclusion on a detail. It isn't incredibly in depth for any given topic but it's a solid overall coverage of the topic and one I would recommend and will recommend for other enthusiast's.

Nothing is wrong with the writing. But i wanted a new book. I got an old used Library book with stickers and faded pages. Be sure you check what you are buying. I can't give someone an old used book for their birthday.

This is a pretty good book. It’s the book you expect it to be. It’s well researched and extremely thorough. You really do get a feel for what life was like in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean ports where pirates were based. You learn about the “Golden Age” of piracy. You learn what life was like on board their ships. You learn a great deal about their governance and inter-relationships. The details of ships’ hulls, rigging, and sailplans are all there. The booty, the rum, the sea fights, the trade routes, the wrecks; they’re all there too. Toward the end are the trials and the hangings. Quite a few hangings, actually, interspersed with the sermons of preachers hoping to spare the pirates’ souls as they faced their maker. For the reader interested in following up with independent study, there are forty-six pages of footnotes and three of bibliography. Unfortunately, the author relays all of this information in a monotone which underserves the topic. His is a voice which drones on and on. Even gunpowder and whores fail to register above a hum. To his credit, the author is effective in conveying his empathy for the African slaves which often counted as pirate chattel, and the slave trade is accurately portrayed as savagely inhumane. Overall, the prose may not be clever, but it’s still a pretty good book.

This was a great read! No way could I have been a pirate! I enjoyed reading about the life of a pirate. I have gone to several pirate museums, and Black Flags Blue waters, really helped to explain information I saw, and really helped my understanding on a recent pirate museum. I even surprised my husband and friends with my new knowledge- Thank you Eric Jay Dolin for expanding my knowledge! Realty interesting read. I enjoyed how the pirate movies were mentioned in this book. Great read before (or after) visiting the Caribbean and East Coast.