Honor Among Thieves : Captain Kidd, Henry Every, and the Pirate Democracy in the Indian Ocean

Rating:
Summary: Avast me hearties
Review: A great subject and not much covered except by Daniel Defoe 250 years ago. Good bios of the major characters. Very good explanations of the period, the hows and whys of piracy. Since piracy by its very nature is a secretive profession there isnt much in print either contemporary or historical. The author certainly has done his research, the notes and bibliography section of this book runs over 60 pages. The Madagascar pirates must have been the most successful thieves in history and the author is able to convey to us today just how much booty they managed to steal, billions in todays values. And many of them got away with it. The book is facinating yet doesnt read like a novel nor is it only a dry scholarly tome. Where able the author conveys both motivations and personalities of his characters. A very good read esp, if one is interested in the development of Madagascar.

Rating:
Summary: Avast me hearties
Review: A great subject and not much covered except by Daniel Defoe 250 years ago. Good bios of the major characters. Very good explanations of the period, the hows and whys of piracy. Since piracy by its very nature is a secretive profession there isnt much in print either contemporary or historical. The author certainly has done his research, the notes and bibliography section of this book runs over 60 pages. The Madagascar pirates must have been the most successful thieves in history and the author is able to convey to us today just how much booty they managed to steal, billions in todays values. And many of them got away with it. The book is facinating yet doesnt read like a novel nor is it only a dry scholarly tome. Where able the author conveys both motivations and personalities of his characters. A very good read esp, if one is interested in the development of Madagascar.