Black Flags, Blue Waters cover art

Black Flags, Blue Waters

The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates

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Black Flags, Blue Waters

By: Eric Jay Dolin
Narrated by: Paul Brion
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About this listen

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
17th Century 18th Century Americas Colonial Period Maritime History & Piracy Modern United States World Pirate American History Africa Water Explorations
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Who doesn't like to hear stories about Caribbean pirates? Probably the survivors of their raids and ravages...but they've all been dead for 200 years, so why feel guilty? It's true, now as back then, that earing about the exploits and adventures of history's sea dogs is exciting. It just never seems to get old, and this was yet another great little romp through this fascinating topic and time.

Well narrated and researched, I found this book mostly fascinating, and only rarely unfollowable. but on the a whole; enjoyable! Recommended for anyone looking for a whiff of salty air, maritime mischief, and historical accounts of really violent and inhumane acts!

Great Narration of a Fascinating Subject

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A well written book but the narration was not engaging and had a dull delivery. probably not suited for the topic.

Overall of you can get over that it's a good book to listen to.

Well written, boring narration.

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A great Snapshot of the intended time period. Sticks to know facts and doesn't embellish stories into the realm of fantasy. Easy listening although it feels like it jumps around from one character/period to the next (there were no chapter breaks in the narration, so that may be why it seemed so). Overall an enjoyable and brief history lesson.

A great snapshot of the Golden age of Piracy.

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Well written about a subject that as always fascinated me. Great stories about an amazing time in the world's history. I did struggle a bit with narrative sometimes, English is a wonderful language. The American narrator did get to me at times with pronouncing some words. Of course English is spoken in many countries around the world with many different accents. I love the American accent but they call the Caribbean the Car-rib- be-an and Water Waaater, The Caribbean pronunciation was annoying because it was uttered many times in this book.

Great History

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A well written account, not speculative, and an enjoyable listen. I particularly enjoyed how the author differentiated between contemporary accounts that were likely inflated/ romanticised and more reliable contemporary accounts. A good listen.

Enlightening and enjoyable. Informative without being dry.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.