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Black Flags, Blue Waters

The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates

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About this listen

Set against the backdrop of the Age of Exploration, Black Flags, Blue Waters reveals the dramatic and surprising history of American piracy's "Golden Age" - spanning the late 1600s through the early 1700s - when lawless pirates plied the coastal waters of North America and beyond. Best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin illustrates how American colonists at first supported these outrageous pirates in an early display of solidarity against the Crown, and then violently opposed them.

Through engrossing episodes of roguish glamour and extreme brutality, Dolin depicts the star pirates of this period, among them towering Blackbeard, ill-fated Captain Kidd, and sadistic Edward Low, who delighted in torturing his prey. Also brilliantly detailed are the pirates' manifold enemies, including colonial governor John Winthrop and evangelist Cotton Mather.

Upending popular misconceptions and cartoonish stereotypes, Dolin provides this wholly original account of the seafaring outlaws whose raids reflect the precarious nature of American colonial life.

©2018 Eric Jay Dolin (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books 17th Century 18th Century Americas Colonial Period Maritime History & Piracy Modern United States World Pirate American History Africa Water Explorations
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What an excellent book this is. It put a completely new spin on the Pirates legacy by showing the close links with East Coast communities.
Worth while getting this.

Superb analysis of US Piracy

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good listening and narrative, covered a wide range of areas and information
good value for money.

very informative

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Having had little knowledge of pirates prior this provided a good insight into some of histories most famous pirates, their exploits and the men and forces that brought them down across America.

Will next be looking at the Caribbean and the republic of pirates as suggested in the final chapter. Great listen!

Piracy at its finest

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I really enjoyed the book, however I found the narration to be uninspiring. The narrator reads as though he finds the subject to be utterly uninteresting.

Not bad

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I really enjoyed this book, as a fan of all things Pirate related. I found the historical facts surrounding each Pirate and their ship to be really riveting and taught me things I didn't know. The geographical description of the places visited, from the Caribbean islands, right to the cost of Africa, where on point for the historical period. I recommend this book for any pirate fan, especially for someone interested in pirates from America.

The detail and historical facts

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