Maggs Bros.

A beautiful copy of this pocket edition of one of the most influential source texts on the Golden Age of Piracy. “Frequently described as the greatest early book on piracy” (NMM), over the years it has been printed in upwards of one hundred editions and might rightly be described as a classic in the literature of adventure. Alexandre Exquemelin (1645-1707) was a barber-surgeon in a buccaneering fleet under Sir Henry Morgan (1635-1688). He renounced his piratical ways in 1694, though seems to have reprised his former trade for one last attack on Cartagena in 1697.

The first edition of History of the Bucaneers of America was printed in Esquemelin’s native Dutch in 1678. The first English edition came in 1684, and subsequent editions included much addition and subtraction of material along the way. This 1810 pocket edition includes the account of the voyage of Bartholomew Sharp (1650-1702), as supplied by Basil Ringrose, as well as the narrative of French pirate Etienne de Montauban (1660-1700).

It is for the details on Captain Morgan that this book really earns its place amongst the classic maritime texts. In spite of the fact that Morgan, by this time “Sir Henry” governor of Jamaica, attempted to sue the publisher of the first English edition for libel, the vividly detailed observations recorded by Esquemelin have been accepted as a valuable primary source for life aboard a pirate ship. In particular the inclusion of a pirate ship’s articles are of great interest - after enduring the injustices of the merchant navy, it would have been quite revolutionary to encounter an alternative maritime society where not only was sizeable insurance paid out against bodily injury, but profits were divided near equally among all members of the crew.

Whilst this edition was printed for the mass market and priced at 6 shillings (listed in the Walker’s British Classics price list on the back), it is rare to find an unrestored copy the original printed boards.

Sabin, 23491