| Pirates -- History -- 17th century. |
| Piracy -- Panama -- History. |
| Piracy -- Pacific Coast (Latin America) -- History. |
| Trials (Piracy) -- England -- History. |
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Library | Collection | Material Type | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Cobourg Branch | Searching... Unknown | Adult Non-Fiction Book | 910.4 Tho | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
Discover the "fascinating and outrageously readable" account of the roguish acts of the first pirates to raid the Pacific in a crusade that ended in a sensational trial back in England--perfect for readers of Nathaniel Philbrick and David McCullough (Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God )
The year is 1680, in the heart of the Golden Age of Piracy, and more than three hundred daring, hardened pirates--a potent mix of low-life scallywags and a rare breed of gentlemen buccaneers--gather on a remote Caribbean island. The plan: to wreak havoc on the Pacific coastline, raiding cities, mines, and merchant ships. The booty: the bright gleam of Spanish gold and the chance to become legends. So begins one of the greatest piratical adventures of the era--a story not given its full due until now.Inspired by the intrepid forays of pirate turned Jamaican governor Captain Henry Morgan--yes, that Captain Morgan--the company crosses Panama on foot, slashing its way through the Darien Isthmus, one of the thickest jungles on the planet, and liberating a native princess along the way. After reaching the South Sea, the buccaneers, primarily Englishmen, plunder the Spanish Main in a series of historic assaults, often prevailing against staggering odds and superior firepower. A collective shudder racks the western coastline of South America as the English pirates, waging a kind of proxy war against the Spaniards, gleefully undertake a brief reign over Pacific waters, marauding up and down the continent.
With novelistic prose and a rip-roaring sense of adventure, Keith Thomson guides us through the pirates' legendary two-year odyssey. We witness the buccaneers evading Indigenous tribes, Spanish conquistadors, and sometimes even their own English countrymen, all with the ever-present threat of the gallows for anyone captured. By fusing contemporaneous accounts with intensive research and previously unknown primary sources, Born to Be Hanged offers a rollicking account of one of the most astonishing pirate expeditions of all time.
Author Notes
Keith Thomson is the author of several novels, including Pirates of Pensacola and the New York Times bestseller Once a Spy . The former Columbia history major also writes nonfiction for the New York Times , Garden & Gun , and the Huffington Post on a range of topics, including national security and piracy. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Novelist Thompson (7 Grams of Lead) makes his nonfiction debut with this swashbuckling account of a 17th-century pirate raid on the Pacific coastline of Spanish South America. Drawing on contemporaneous diaries kept by several of the privateers, Thomson recounts how a group of 366 "Caribbean-based pirates" helped an Indigenous tribe rescue a chief's daughter who was being held captive by the Spanish on the Isthmus of Panama. After completing the mission, the group made a daring attack on Spanish ships guarding Panama City and raided settlements along the western coast of South America on their way to the Chilean town of Arica, where they hoped to find fabulous wealth. Though the fleet captured several galleons and enough plunder to make them rich, they were repelled at Arica and, after rounding Cape Horn and returning to the Caribbean, three of the pirates, including Capt. Bartholomew Sharp, were captured, brought to trial in England, and acquitted. Thomson unravels the complex relationship between piracy and colonial governments in the Americas, where England and Spain struggled for primacy, and describes local tribes and flora and fauna in meticulous detail. Readers will be swept along by this brisk and entertaining adventure story. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. (Apr.)
Booklist Review
In chronicling seventeenth-century English pirate voyages, historian and novelist Thomson eloquently proves Mark Twain's oft-cited adage, "Truth is stranger than fiction." Thanks to lively writing and thorough research, Thomson's pirates burst from the pages as vividly and compellingly as those in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series rule the screen. These real-life buccaneers thrash their way through the jungles of the isthmus of Panama to rescue a Kuna princess. They attack two Spanish warships in a few frail canoes. They loot ships and settlements along the Pacific coast of South America. Their rampage finished, one band recrosses the isthmus, battling raging rivers and torrential downpours; another crew sails a fragile ship around the southern tip of South America, through the perilous Drake Passage. Thomson writes in punchy, short chapters, which often end with a cliffhanger, while black-and-white illustrations and maps help readers follow the voyages. The author also helpfully defines many arcane nautical terms, including a reveal about aargh and the origin of modern words like avocado and barbecue. The entertaining suspense and high energy continue to the very end.
Library Journal Review
Thriller writer Thomson (Seven Grams of Lead) turns to nonfiction in this fun and entertaining listen featuring Feodor Chin's excellent narration. Chin has an amazingly clear and theatrical voice, which makes these historical figures' adventures seem even more wild and hilarious. The book has nonstop action from start to finish, like a summer blockbuster; even the bits of historical context are kept concise, while still being informative. One can definitely see how these buccaneers embodied the spirit of the "golden age of piracy," embracing the freedom that a life of pirating offered. They were adventurous, quick-thinking, adaptable, and rarely hesitant to seize opportunities--often quite literally. Some of the facts and details about these men's lives may not come as a surprise to readers who are familiar with pirate history, but this telling offers a new twist. VERDICT Highly recommended for any maritime and history collections.--Ammi Bui
Table of Contents
| Part I The Sacred Hunger of Cold | |
| 1 The Princess | p. 3 |
| 2 The Golden Swordsman | p. 12 |
| 3 The Gap | p. 17 |
| 4 Golden-Cap | p. 27 |
| 5 The Forlorn | p. 36 |
| 6 The Second-Largest City in the Western Hemisphere | p. 45 |
| 7 A Natural Pirate | p. 53 |
| 8 An Easy Canoe Ride | p. 62 |
| 9 Castaways | p. 69 |
| 10 Surprizal | p. 80 |
| 11 The Dragon | p. 89 |
| 12 The Extreamest Hazard of Fire and Sword | p. 94 |
| 13 Blood Ran Down the Decks in Whole Streams | p. 105 |
| 14 Mutiny | p. 113 |
| Part II The South Seas | |
| 15 The Muzzles of Our Guns | p. 121 |
| 16 Swallowed by the Sea | p. 129 |
| 17 As Valiant and Courageous as Any Could Be | p. 137 |
| 18 Snake-Haired Sisters | p. 146 |
| 19 The Merry Blades | p. 159 |
| 20 Water, Water | p. 169 |
| 21 Ransom | p. 180 |
| 22 Eighty-Five Stout Fellows | p. 186 |
| 23 Rohinson Crusoe | p. 197 |
| 24 The Very illustrious and Royal City of Saint Mark of Arica | p. 208 |
| 25 The Itch | p. 224 |
| Part III Straits | |
| 26 Expect to Be Shot to Death | p. 231 |
| 27 The Pyre | p. 242 |
| 28 Bloodletting | p. 251 |
| 29 A Warm Deck | p. 263 |
| 30 The Horn | p. 268 |
| 31 Landfall | p. 278 |
| 32 The Silver Oar | p. 288 |
| 33 The Sequel | p. 302 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 313 |
| A Note on Sources | p. 315 |
| Bibliography | p. 317 |
| Notes | p. 327 |
| Illustration Credits | p. 357 |
| Index | p. 361 |