Overview
At last the ultimate book of pirates is here! Inside is the stuff of legend, where tales of adventure and intrigue are written in blood. Read about Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. Learn about walking the plank and buried treasure. Discover what was like aboard a pirate ship — from a pirate's strict code of conduct to the punishments that awaited those that broke them.
All the intrigue, adventure, and grizzly details are brought to life in this lavish hardcover package jam packed with fact and fiction, pirate lore, and amazing memorabilia, including:
- a booklet of pirate slang
- a genuine advertisement to recruit pirates
- a booklet of pirate biographies
- a letter from William the III to Captain Kidd
- a pullout featuring pirate weapons
- a treasure map
- a wanted poster for Blackbeard
- sample playing cards
- as well as flaps and fold outs galore!
Synopsis
Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Black Sam Bellamy…the very names conjure up hair-raising images of razor-sharp cutlasses, buried treasure, the skull and crossbones, and walking the plank. Containing biographies of legendary buccaneers plus details on their weapons, codes of conduct, and punishments, this lavishly illustrated book beautifully captures the swashbuckling world of pirates and paints a compelling portrait of life at sea in a bygone era.
Publishers Weekly
Anyone who considers himself or herself a fan of pirate lore will surely savor this scrapbook-style, paper-over-board hardcover with sturdy oversize pages. Matthews offers a comprehensive read, jam-packed with more nuggets than Captain Blackbeard himself could muster up (were he available). From a historical primer to explanations of pirates' ship flags (printed on an overleaf), the author leaves virtually no stone unturned. He devotes each spread to a different theme; the text is printed atop a ghosted image of a treasure map and accented by a medley of original illustrations and photographs. The layout carefully balances an informative text with photographic and cross-hatch images so as not to overwhelm the reader with too much data. One spread boasts a mini-book of "Pirate Slang," another features a catalogue of "Pirate Weapons," to further demonstrate the spread's theme, "Terror on the High Seas!" Perhaps the most noteworthy additions are several "documents," complete with faux-waxed seal stickers, inviting inquisitive readers to examine their contents. (A standout is the replication of a map dating back to 1758, indicating "sites where treasure may still be buried.") Written in a heavy ink script, these inserts mirror the look and feel of those yo-ho-ho days. This volume is true pirate booty, a treasure to be appreciated by pirate fans both young and old. Ages 6-12. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Anyone who considers himself or herself a fan of pirate lore will surely savor this scrapbook-style, paper-over-board hardcover with sturdy oversize pages. Matthews offers a comprehensive read, jam-packed with more nuggets than Captain Blackbeard himself could muster up (were he available). From a historical primer to explanations of pirates' ship flags (printed on an overleaf), the author leaves virtually no stone unturned. He devotes each spread to a different theme; the text is printed atop a ghosted image of a treasure map and accented by a medley of original illustrations and photographs. The layout carefully balances an informative text with photographic and cross-hatch images so as not to overwhelm the reader with too much data. One spread boasts a mini-book of "Pirate Slang," another features a catalogue of "Pirate Weapons," to further demonstrate the spread's theme, "Terror on the High Seas!" Perhaps the most noteworthy additions are several "documents," complete with faux-waxed seal stickers, inviting inquisitive readers to examine their contents. (A standout is the replication of a map dating back to 1758, indicating "sites where treasure may still be buried.") Written in a heavy ink script, these inserts mirror the look and feel of those yo-ho-ho days. This volume is true pirate booty, a treasure to be appreciated by pirate fans both young and old. Ages 6-12. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
Pirates were all about attitude. Fittingly, so is this brief introduction to the world of buccaneers by British author John Matthews. Yet it is the flashy design that will draw kids like magnets. One look at the dazzling fake ruby eye inset within the cover's bold skull and crossbones will have them clamoring to possess the book. All the little envelopes and pull-out/fold-out inserts within the thick pages will only add to the allure: articles of enlistment; a short dictionary of pirate slang (check out "kiss the gunner's daughter"); Captain Kidd's commission as a privateer; pirate weapons; a treasure map of Jamaica; period playing cards; wanted posters; a death sentence. Matthews' copy is a reasonable starting history of the subject, but it is generally overwhelmed by the busy visuals and frequent nods to the Pirates of the Caribbean films. If the end result is that a few kids might pick up Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island and actually read it, the glitz will not have been in vain. 2006, Atheneum, Ages 8 to 12.—Kathleen Karr