Pirates And Privateers Of The Americas »

This engaging encyclopedia profiles the lives and times of the most colorful buccaneers from the mid-17th to early 18th centuries.

Library Journal

Both works consist of alphabetically arranged encyclopedic entries written by maritime historians. Rogozinski (Brief History of the Caribbean, LJ 3/1/92) covers a broader scope, including actual and fictional pirates since the fourth century B.C., movies, operas, and fiction about pirates, nautical slang, and terminology. There is an emphasis throughout on differentiating pirate myth from fact. Narratives range from a few lines to detailed profiles of several pages (as in the case of Sir Francis Drake). Entries for movies provide a plot description, primary actors, director, year, and some critical reaction. Similarly, plot, date of publication, and historical inaccuracies are noted for the many novels. The fictional character Long John Silver is treated by Rogozinski under several "Treasure Island" entries but is excluded from Marley's Pirates and Privateers of the Americas, which covers only factual pirates and events of the 17th century. Terms associated with sea raiders, e.g., pieces of eight, maroon, and Spanish Main are included in both encyclopedias. Definitions and biographies are generally longer from Marley's compendium which, though less comprehensive, includes many pirates not covered by Rogozinski. Bibliographic and See also references are provided by both authors; there is little overlap between the select bibliographies. Marley's historical synopses convey a more scholarly tone, but Rogozinski's treatment should have broader appeal given its worldwide coverage and inclusion of films and novels from which much of our familiarity with pirate history and lore is derived.Stanley P. Hodge, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, Ind.