The Buccaneers of America (Dover Maritime) Paperback – February 26, 2000

Great book great account of the indifference of true scoundrels. If you like Peter Pan stay away from this book.

Originally published in Dutch, this version is translated by Alexis Brown. The author, Alexander O. Exquemelin (spelling varies widely between versions and sources), provides a first hand account of the environs, history and, to him, current accounts of several of the well known buccaneer captains.Much of the book is in travel log format and describes the various towns, flora and fauna of the Caribbean, especially locales like Tortuga, Panama and Hispaniola. The author describes various animals and often their suitability as food, such as the differing qualities of the various types of turtles and even manatees. His descriptions of the trees and animals are fairly detailed and the modern reader can often make the connection with current names.The other focus of the book is a set of narratives of two of the better known buccaneers: Francis L'Olonnais and Henry Morgan. The author provides accounts and opinions of the exploits of these two men and their crews, including the less than admirable usage of torture.This is required reading for any with more than just a passing interest in pirates (I am somewhat ashamed that it has taken me nearly 8 years to get around to this cornerstone for a true understanding of buccaneers). While the biographical content is limited to just two buccaneers, the basic understanding of the buccaneer lifestyle and environment provide a firm basis for understanding much of what transpired during the 17th century in the Caribbean as well as what was to follow in the Golden Age of Piracy.P-)

One of the most important contributions of Exquemelin's book are the beautiful, detailed illustrations. They are as significant a historical contibution as is Exquemelin's written first-hand account. The copper plates and subsequent printing were very expensive to produce in the 17th Century and clearly the publisher then felt it was worth the investment. This current publisher, who could have easily included the illustrations using 21st Century digital technology, apparently didn't think the illustrations had any value. Really disappointing.

I purchased this book because I am an expat on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico and wanted to know more about the history of the Caribbean. This book deepened my knowledge of the Caribbean islands and the struggles of their occupants during the Golden Age of the Buccaneers. I was surprised to learn how violent and ruthless the buccaneers were to the people, and what they were forced to eat due to starvation. I was also surprised to learn how many of the occupants from other countries got to the islands ... by being dishonestly recruited and treated worse than slaves, or were prisoners of crimes or debts. I also noticed many similarities between Puerto Rico and the other islands the author describes.

I'm a fan of pirate history and loved the book Empire of Blue Water, which I believe borrowed heavily from this first-person account written in the late 1600s. Although the author briefly describes his part in a few events, probably 90% of the book is written in third person where he describes what happens to other pirates. Because of when the book was written, I anticipated a lot of old fashioned language (thee, thou, art...) but the translators did a good job of making this book readable and enjoyable. The one shortfall I found was the lack of maps to help the reader understand the geography (and distances measured in leagues and fathoms) of the pirate world. Many of the names have changed over the years and it's still understandable but can be confusing. Overall, great book and I highly recommend it.

I know this is a translation of a translation of a 400 year old memoir but I still found the old english a bit annoying and quite frankly superfluous. With that being said, I do think this book is an important asset in any enthusiast's knowledgebank but it's certainly not the master resource I (perhaps foolishly) thought it would be. Interesting stuff though; lots of neat factoids

here's the thing. this is a documentary written by a french or dutch buccaneer (before the pirate days). He writes about food (a lot) and then the torture that his ships/crew/captains put people through. some of it he witnessed, some is second/third hand. You won't likely like buccaneers after this book. and its dry in spots (talking about the type of trees or turtles or pigs, e.g.) but its very historical and much more detail that most pirate/buccaneer books can provide. it was a bestseller back in the day...

Exquemelin's account of Carribbean piracy is a classic - it details not only the exploits of a number of individual pirates (l'Olonnaise, Pierre le Grande, Cpt. Morgan to name a few), but also the daily lives of the crew and the democratic nature of a pirate's life in general.Interspersed among tales of piracy on the high seas (and, often times on land as well), Exquemelin provides a travelouge, vividly describing the flora, fauna, inhabitants and principal ports along the Caribbean. While there are exaggerations, on the whole it provides an excellent first-hand account of life in the Americas when piracy was at its zenith. Highly recommended for historians, pirate fans (and lets face it, who isn't a fan of pirates?), and especially those going to or coming from holiday in the Caribbean. A fascinating read.

Great book

Great book to read, it you want to be there amongst it

A good primary source for pirates and other issues in Caribbean during 17th century. Not a terribly fluid read, but a good source for history research.

difficult to read in the old english.

An excellent first person description of life with the Buccannees