Rating: 
Summary: Pillage and Plunder
Review: Probably one of the best overall books on the subject of piracy, myth and reality, that I have read. Cordingly covers the history, the movies, the books, the truths and the untruths. He covers the pirate havens, common practices, origins, the big names and little names. Not just a dry narrative, but a fun read.If you were to buy one book on the topic of piracy, this should be it (Angus Konstam's History of Pirates would be next in line). It is a must for any budding pirate historian. P-)
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and informative - slightly disjointed
Review: For a history book club that I am in, we read "Under the Black Flag." I was looking forward to it because I knew very little about the pirates, except from what I'd seen on TV and in the movies. For correcting my misconceptions, I give the book a 5 star rating. Mr. Cordingly obviously knows his material and also knows the myths that have formed about pirates. He easily renders those myths obsolete with this book while informing the reader about many other events and persons unknown to them. The only problem I have with the book is that it is written in a very disjointed style. The chapters, instead of being chronological or event/person based, cover each of the characterisics and/or myths of the pirates. Therefore, the reader comes across the same story/person/event multiple times. It also, unfortunately, creates a reading environment that is difficult to get deeply involved in, causing the reader to miss some important information. Very informative, but could have been organized better.
Rating:
Summary: The Preeminent Introduction to the Life of Pirates
Review: David Cordingly strikes gold with his latest piratical tome, "Under the Black Flag". Cordingly is the worlds foremost authority on the subject of pirates and buccaneers as his tought-provoking and impecably researched volume attests. The ideal primer into the life, times and trials of those robbers of the high seas, "Flag" takes an informative and non-judgemental look at the causes and reasons why so many mariners during the Golden Age of Piracy signed articles and took to the pirates life. Cordingly gives sound backgrounds on several of the more famous swashbucklers and dispells many myths associated with their life and deeds. It's easy style and thorough explaination of all terms nautical make "Flag" a joy to read. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Long Arm of the Admiralty
Review: There are always a number of books in general circulation about pirates but for a general overview for the adult reader, this is the best. Cordingly, who concentrates on the Caribbean-era pirates (technically, buccaneers) explains how their number grew in the seventeenth century and and how they were extinguished in the eighteenth. Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Mary Bonny and Ann Read are among those he treats. He also paints a fascinating picture of how the quasi-pirates such as William Dampier and Henry Morgan came to notoriety. Above all, the story is a struggle between the rogue, proto-democratic forces of the outlaws (who elected their pirate captains had to vote on every change of course) and the bureaucratic power of the British Admiralty. In the end, there could only have been one winner.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining introduction to piracy
Review: David Cordingly has written an interesting book on piracy that consists of well researched stories of how pirates really acted, and then compares those stories to the mainstream culture view of piracy. The anecdotes are entertaining, and are well written, so that the book flows along nicely. For people who are looking for a history book, the style of Cordingly's writing is a bit informal and some of his information on pirates doesn't get very in depth (although his extensive list of sources shows that he could be in depth, and gives the reader a chance to research more for his/herself if he/she so desires), but for someone who is looking for information about pirates and a good read, this book is excellent. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Skulls and Crossbones Flying High!
Review: Great book!
Wonderfully written and well explained. This book puts to rest all the fiction and tales told of pirates. Easy to read, and chapters vary from Henry Morgan, to women pirates and shipwrecks.
Hopefully the author decides to write a pirate book on all the famous pirates like Blackbeard, Drake and more on Morgan.
The author should have made better use of maps in the book but the chapters are smooth reads.
I recommend to anybody who wants to know more about these mysterious mariners known as pirates
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, informative, but sort of dry
Review: Despite it's flaws, Cordingly's "Under the Black Flag" is worth a read. It is not really intended as a "history" of piracy (as some seem it think), rather it explores the reality behind the popular conception our society has of pirates and piracy itself, the innaccuriacies that have crept into their pop image. Even from the later days of piracy, authors such as Robert Louis Stevenson have presented a slightly romanticized image of pirates. Authors that followed him added until the truth of piracy was partially obscured. Cordingly achieves his goal of decifering the romanticism and it's orgins quite well through the course of the book, explaining the structure of the pirate world, how they operated, what sort of men and prizes they went after, and where many of the misconceptions of Pirates may have come from. The book is filled with many interesting anecdotes and stories about specific pirates and the authors who wrote about them. The main problem I had with this book was simply the fact that it was dry. While it had some sections that were fascinating and kept my attention easily, other parts were boring. It was clearly intended as more of light read, yet at times I felt like I was plowing through a more scholarly piece of work. I had to force myself to get through them at times. What results is an inconsistant read. That said, I would still recomend this book to people interested in pirates. While there are other books that have more on specific pirates and specific events, this book is a fairly decent overview, and its analysis on the development of the pop culture image of pirates is invaluable.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and informative overview of piracy
Review: This book gives an overview of the lives of the pirates of the 1700's (mostly). It covers the careers and untimely demises of the most famous (Capt. Kidd, Blackbeard, Calico Jack, and Black Bart Roberts), talks about a number of less famous pirates, and covers some of the semilegal (depending on your nationality) exploits of the privateers (like Capt. Morgan). The book deliberately limits itself to those pirates associated with the Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean Sea, although many of these pirates also operated in the Indian or Pacific Ocean, so there is a wide variety of locales to compliment the wide variety of people. The descriptions of the pirate life and details of their exploits are well written, using a number of primary sources (logbooks, journals, newpaper articles). They give a good feel for the "reality" of life among the pirates. But what of the "romance"? It's here as well, comparing the real pirates of history with our modern romantic view of pirates, based on Erol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks, Captain Hook and Long John Silver, and the Pirates of Penzance. It is an entertaining and informative book, especially for someone (like myself) whose previous exposure to piracy has been through Stephen Spielberg's movies and Sid Meier's computer games. I suspect the serious naval historian may find the text someone cursory, but still useful because of the wealth of references. Anyone interested in a general overview on pirates (and privateers) in this era should find this book an enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: A touch dry, too soon over, but an excellent read
Review: I'm thrilled that Amazon.com has this book; when "Under the Black Flag" originally came out, I had to trek to bookstore after bookstore, enduring snide and ill-informed clerks in my search for it. (I'd heard the author interviewed on National Public Radio, and he mentioned the publication date.) I prefer the original cover, with the painting on the cover, but that's a minor point ... "Under the Black Flag" is an excellent read for those interested in pirates and does a great job of both telling the truth about the romantic images we have, and exposing little-known facts that make that era more interesting and at times, almost noble ... well, noble for men who were, realistically, a pretty savage bunch at times. The book is probably a bit too dense for readers not of high school reading level, but for older readers, it's a quick read, a bit stiffly told at times, but too soon over. A good book for the pirate, boating or history buff.
Rating:
Summary: Informative but boring
Review: There is a lot of information in this book, and after reading it I no longer have any illusions that pirate life was romantic. However, I did have to force my way through it all because it was a very boring read. The book has it's moments, but it made me experience lethargy more than anything else. I was disappointed, because I had a keen interest in pirates and was expecting a much more engrossing book. I was relieved when I finally reached the last page.
| 
