Review: Amazingly informative
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 16, 2012
I must admit that I thought I knew all I needed to about pirates. After all, "Treasure Island" was mandatory reading at school, and as a kid I watched Captain Pugwash! So I approached this book with an attitude of "tell me something I don't know".The fact is, that it did. I never realized that there was so much to be known about the less than law-abiding career of being a pirate."Flash in the pan" and "Letting the cat out of the bag" are just two of the expressions in common use that are in the included simple guide to pirate slang, but the authors also include a full Pirate Dictionary including many more words and phrases.The history of pirates is traced back to BC times, with even Julius Caesar named as a victim of a pirate attack. But the majority of pirating happened in the 17th and 18th centuries, and there's details of these escapades and a pirate code of conduct.For those inspired to role-play, the authors have included suggestions for costuming and the words of what must be the full version of "Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest". The book concludes with an extensive bibliography.Finally, I must just say that I really like the cover artwork, which captures the fun filled essence of the book. Much more than just a guide to "talking like a pirate" and a great read!