Buccaneers of the Caribbean: How Piracy Forged an Empire

I really liked this book. It is a great place to start reading about privateers and pirates. It has a good bibliography for further reading. I would even recommend this for college students doing research papers as it is well sourced. Even though the book is academic, it was fun and easy to read.

Great content and detail, especially for before the Golden Age of Piracy. The only difficulty was the unconventional grammar in some cases. It often lead to misunderstandings that required re-reading (occasionally multiple times). But a great, informative book.

excellent

The subtitle “How Piracy forged an Empire” immediately conveys Jon Latimer’s intended purpose unambiguously, leaving no question as to the author’s intent. It also hints at a possible bias towards British Imperialism and one would not be surprised to learn that Latimer was born in England and served for several years in the English Army. However, Latimer seems to lose his way amidst the myriad of forces at work in the Caribbean during these turbulent years, his attempt at a clear purpose being his first casualty. Another major distraction from his purpose lies in his insistence on highlighting Spanish mismanagement of their New World Empire. Latimer gives the appearance of being anti-Spanish at times and the subtitle could easily be renamed “How Spanish Incompetence Cost an Empire”Latimer’s research is extensive and blends referencing previous works as well as inquiry into primary sources of information, such as governmental archives. Such balance enables Latimer to both draw his own conclusions as well as synthesizing the large collection of works used. His descriptions outlining the tit for tat action between the major powers through their buccaneer proxies exhausts the reader and it’s not until late in the book do we see Later show his strength as a writer. It is in describing British privateer Henry Morgan and his exploits (in great detail) that Latimer is clearly at his best. Narrating his various raids, the reader is taken on an incredible journey, having the feeling of bearing individual witness to Morgan’s cunning genius. In doing so however, Latimer makes painfully evident his personal bias towards Morgan, and to dear mother England. Such perceived bias does not undo Latimer however, and throughout his work he is able to clearly demonstrate how the Spanish mismanagement of the American colonies (simply draining precious metals instead of building real, enduring wealth) helped lead to the decline of the Spanish Empire with the help of Caribbean buccaneering. His ability to do so in a narrative, storytelling fashion heightens the reader’s enjoyment of what could have easily been a dry description of facts and instances. Latimer also understands the complex political forces in Europe driving the situation in the Caribbean and explains them well enough, assuming the reader has some knowledge on Western European history.In all, Latimer’s work gives the reader a great wealth of knowledge of Caribbean history, both in the describing the political context as well as the daily lives of buccaneers. His describing the macro and micro elements can be frustrating for the reader at times, and the sheer number of individuals mentioned in his work has a tendency to overwhelm the reader. “Buccaneers of the Caribbean” could easily have been broken up into two pieces of work, one being a general history of Buccaneering in the Caribbean and the other focusing on the exploits of Henry Morgan and the British colony at Jamaica, which is clearly his true love of this work.

This books is clearly written in a style that is easy to follow and enjoyable to read. Jon Latimer brings his subjects to life in a way that harkens to the romantic and exciting side of pirates while maintaining historical accuracy and revealing the actual people behind the legends. This is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in the subject, whether they be a casual reader or a student of history.