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Pirates of Barbary: Corsairs, Conquests and Captivity in the Seventeenth-Century Mediterranean Paperback – September 6, 2011

by Adrian Tinniswood (Author)

4.5 69 ratings

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The true story that's "bloody good entertainment" (New York Times) about the colorful and legendary pirates of the 17th century.

If not for today's news stories about piracy on the high seas, it'd be easy to think of pirating as a romantic way of life long gone. But nothing is further from the truth. Pirates have existed since the invention of commerce itself, and they reached the zenith of their power during the 1600s, when the Mediterranean was the crossroads of the world and pirates were the scourge of Europe. Historian and author Adrian Tinniswood brings this exciting and surprising chapter in history alive, revealing that the history of piracy is also the history that has shaped our modern world.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Adrian Tinniswood is the author of His Invention So Fertile: A Life of Christopher Wren and Visions of Power: Ambition and Architecture from Ancient Times to the Present. He is a respected author, lecturer, and broadcaster in Britain and the United States.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1594485445
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Riverhead Books (September 6, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781594485442
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594485442
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.9 x 0.78 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,108,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #270 in North Africa History
- #563 in Maritime History & Piracy (Books)

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4.5 69 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

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WJP

Pirate Book

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2023

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Fine book have not read all of it -- so far

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Kevin Jade

If you are going to read 1 book about "Barbary Pirates", read this one.

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2019

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This book is well-written - meaning it is engaging and interesting to read - and it is also well-researched - meaning it has depth and the reader learns about a variety of different subjects and historical "angles" touched on along the way. More importantly, it is the only book of its kind, which covers the history of all 4 major so-called Barbary States, and their interactions with all European and other Mediterranean states. Most English-language books about the Barbary Pirates focus seemingly solely on the American war with Tripoli in the early 18th century. This book covers so much more (although it does also cover the American war with Tripoli), and is a thoroughly engaging read from start to finish. If you're going to read 1 book about North African corsairs, read this one.

4 people found this helpful

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Michael N Vanatta

Pirates of Barbary

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2011

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Pirates of Barbary
Corsairs, Conquests, and Captivity in the 17th Century Mediterranean
By
Adrian Tinniswood

Mr. Tinniswood's new book on "piracy" is particularly relevant in light of today's problems off of the coast of Somalia. While this may seem to be a "new" problem to many, it certainly is not as his book illustrates so well. The book is a collection of very colorful, dramatic and true stories of yesterday's pirates. They have many similarities to today's pirates; however, today's probably will not gain the panache of yesterday's.

"Pirates of Barbary" starts in the early 1600's. Those were the days when a small group of men in a small boat with scaling ladders, few weapons and sheer nerve would commandeer a much larger vessel for ransom. These men were part of a sophisticated system of a state sanctioned, state regulated, public-private partnership used to grow the coffers of the pirates and the government. Gosh, that sounds a little familiar, don't you think?

What do the names John Nutt, Richard Bishop, Peter Eston and Sir Henry Mainwaring have in common? All were Barbary pirates that were offered pardons by King James I, if they promised to come home to England and behave. Oh yes, they were allowed to keep all the booty. Probably the most famous and successful was Sir Henry Mainwaring who not only was pardoned but was also appointed to Vice-Admiral of the Royal Navy by King James. Actually, it makes sense when you realize what a problem piracy was, and the knowledge Sir Henry possessed of other pirates and piracy, in general. It was such a problem that King James ended up offering a blanket pardon to approximately 3,000 British subjects who had participated in piracy at that time.

In 2009, the U.S. Navy established a task force to take care of this problem once and for all. Oh yeh, Thomas Jefferson established a U.S.Navy task force in 1801 to do the same thing (which happened to be the beginning of the U.S. Navy). Both had success, however, have not cured the problem.

What Mr. Tinniswood helps make clear is that the solution was and remains onshore. As long as there are governments and pseudo-governments that support and profit from piracy, it's going to be around. The ocean is just too darn big to police (even today). We have to deal with the people and organizations that back these efforts in diplomatic and other ways. There have been major successes in the distant past that have been the result of aggressive onshore efforts that are well documented in this book. Recently FBI agents captured Mohammad Shibi, who negotiated the ransom for the 4 American captives who were recently killed by Somali pirates. The agents had the help of Somalian authorities and, actually did this in Somaliland. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction to resolve our "piracy problems" of the last 500 years.

8 people found this helpful

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BookWorm

Fantastic, Enthralling, and Everything You Want in any Book!

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2021

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This is a must read for history lovers and anyone that enjoys stories about the high seas. Tinniswood is an excellent writer who's style draws you in and makes you feel like you're there witnessing every battle. Highly descriptive and enthralling, Tinniswood makes it hard to step away for even a moment. Highly recommend you add this to your library.

One person found this helpful

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GreyGhost

A Great Fun Read

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2019

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This is a book you will end up reading several times of the years. Privateers were an essential source of state income for the Barbary States. The books ties it all together.

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Keith Raulli

Well Written & Entertaining Subject

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

Well Written & Entertaining Subject

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2020