Rating: 
Summary: Let me tell you!!!!
Review: First of all you should all know that I am a pirate. I have a gold tooth and I love loot. This is an amazing look at the history of my people. It does an excellent job of explaining anything you want to know about the subject (do you know the difference between a buccaneer and a corsair?). It is consistently entertaining throughout. I hope you will pick up this book even if you are only slightly interested in the subject because my pirate culture is often misunderstood and David Cordingly shows the reality behind many popular misconceptions and effectively bridges the gap between your working stiff life and my slackerly, rip-roaring, booty lovin', torso stabbin' vagrant lifestyle. Be ye warned, however, this book will make you want to join our lofty ranks and most likely you will not survive the attempt.
Rating:
Summary: Great overview of western hemisphere pirates
Review: Under the Black Flag touches on every aspect of anglo pirates - myths versus realities, famous pirates and attacks, the sudden demise of anglo pirating, and what it was like to be a pirate or attacked by them. The subject of Oriental pirates was touched briefly, although piracy was and is more prevalent in that region than either coast of the Atlantic.
Rating: 
Summary: Aarrr! Good tale of pirates, if a little disorganized
Review: Whenever historical figures such as pirates are so common in popular culture, I often wonder how accurate the representation is. This book engagingly answers these questions. Not surprisingly, there is some truth to the modern image of a pirate. For example, they often dressed with scarfs, lots of guns, and even kept parrots as pets. On the other hand, they were largely brutal criminals, not jovial, romantic figures usually portrayed in stories. With such a fragmentary history, the big challenge is to present a coherent picture of pirate history. Cordingly doesn't always pull this off. I found the book disorganized in places, and some of the chapters have fairly loose threads holding the material together. A lot of the excursions into analyzing popular culture are not particularly insightful, and interfere with the strength of the book, telling the story of pirates. Overall, a fun and interesting read on a criminal class that is well recognized, if not well known.
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