Black Flags, Blue Waters

The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates

By: Eric Jay Dolin

Narrated by: Paul Brion

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

More than the average pirate book.

A deeper than normal look at the interactions between pirates and the colonial governments and their citizens.

solid story for fans of the tipic

interesting story for historical pirate fans, but less than stellar reading. Would have preferred more focused detail than the broader scope presented.

Fascinating

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Golden Age of piracy. This was great.

good read

Seems like a very good take on all things pirates. mundane at times, yet it crosses several myths, truths, legends and the general life of a pirate.

great history

great book. love the pirate histiry of the americas. a good listen on a great topic

how pirates influenced the budding economy of the new world and Europe

extremely interesting, entertaining and fun to listen to. a riveting look into an unknown history

Solid read, BUT...

If this is your first foray into the history of pirates, I heartily recommend listening to The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard first. It's a much more engaging read, and the narrator does a MUCH better job (I swear, this narrator almost managed to make PIRATES seem boring with his delivery). After you read that book, if you're still hungry for more, than this volume is a respectable one for supplementing your knowledge. The author does present interesting history that The Republic of Pirates glossed over, including a few interesting figures left out of that other book entirely. This book just has a slightly narrower focus that I think makes it less suitable as a first book on the subject. By all means read and enjoy it (narrator aside, I certainly did), just not as your first sojourn into the subject matter.

excellent!

the accounts of the golden age of piracy is astounding! the accounts of Bellamy, Blackbeard, Bonnet, and more are fascinating and capture the imagination at its fullest on the high seas of the Caribbean, Coast of Massachusetts, Virginia, the Carolinas, and so on. absolutely loved this book so much that I bought the actual book as well!

Great book, lot of stories

The only complaint I have is that the voice actor is a bit monotone, but still not bad. This book is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in pirate history. I ordered the print edition as well-the reviews suggest it has a lot of maps and graphics.

Educational

I liked the scope of the book but I had to endure the narrator. While some describe him as monotonous, it seemed that he was more infatuated with his voice than the narrative. As a music major, I kept sensing a repetitious pattern of rising and particularly notable falling at end of a sentence that all became tedious. I'm reminded of the La Divina, Maria Callas who always said the voice should convey the meaning of the music. I would say the narrator should consider the work read than be enthralled with his lovely voice.