Pirates and Privateers of the High Seas (Collective Biographies)

Wren, Laura Lee

ISBN 10: 0766015424 ISBN 13: 9780766015425

Publisher: Enslow Pub Inc, 2003

Synopsis

Describes the lives of the pirates Sir Francis Drake, Sir Henry Morgan, Henry Avery, Samuel Bellamy, Edward Teach, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Bartholomew Roberts, John Paul Jones, Jean Laffite, and Cheng I Sao.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-The swashbuckling lives of pirates and buccaneers are retold as something straight out of a Hollywood script in this brief collective biography. The text begins with a profile of Sir Francis Drake, an Englishman who plundered Spanish ships and was rewarded handsomely by Queen Elizabeth I. Other pirates include Sir Henry Morgan, or Morgan the Terrible; Blackbeard; and Jean Laffite. Some of the lesser-known pirates presented are Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who disguised themselves as men while performing their exploits; and Cheng I Sao, known as the "Dragon Lady," who plundered coasts from China to Vietnam. The history reads like an adventure story with several dramatic incidents of piracy on the high seas. However, the author is careful not to romanticize the actions, noting the violence of the escapades and the fact that these individuals were considered either heroes or villains depending upon which side of the plunder you were on. The words "terror" and "terrorist" are used to describe the pirates and their activities. The design and the layout are quite gray with average-quality, black-and-white reproductions occasionally breaking up the text.
Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Enslow Pub Inc
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0766015424
• ISBN 13: 9780766015425
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 104