I read this book for the Mount TBR
Reading Challenge hosted over at My Reader’s Block from January 1 – December 31, 2015. The challenge is to read books
that you already own.
The King of
Pirates: Being an Account of The Famous Enterprises of Captain Avery -
Daniel Defoe
Defoe was professional writer so if he didn’t write he
didn’t eat. So he produced a lot beyond Robinson
Crusoe.
Capitalizing on the success of that one, he followed it
up in 1719 with another book of adventure on the high seas. He inserted
language that gave the impression that it is a true story told in the actual
words of the pirate king. In fact, Defoe made the story up, filling the 100 pages
or so with tales of rousing adventure and the
inside skinny on a criminal subculture, ever popular topic.
Practically speaking, it is one thing to plunder and rob
and pile up pieces of eight. It is quite another to find a place where the
authorities won’t ask awkward questions like, “Did you get all this gold by
pirating, dear sir?” So it is easy to get rich by buccaneering, but without a
royal pardon (after paying a big bloody bribe), an ex-pirate can’t really live
anywhere in peace.
An early work on the Jolly Roger guys, it does not
include any of the conventional incidents we would find in, say, Howard Pyle,
like making unlucky lubbers walk the plank or keel hauling them.
I enjoyed reading this, the antique diction and
punctuation were a welcome change of pace.
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