In a page-turning tale brimming with adventure, author Richard Sanders tells of the remarkable exploits of Bartholomew Roberts (better known as Black Bart), the greatest of the Caribbean pirates. He drank tea instead of rum. He banned women and gambling on his ships. He never made his prisoners walk the plank, instead inviting them into his cabin for a friendly chat. And during the course of his … his extraordinary two-and-a-half-year career as a pirate captain, he captured four hundred prizes and brought trade in the eastern Caribbean to a standstill. In If a Pirate I Must Be…, Richard Sanders tells the larger-than-life story of Bartholomew Roberts, aka Black Bart. Born in a rural town, Roberts rose from third mate on a slave ship to pirate captain in a matter of months. Before long, his combination of audaciousness and cunning won him fame and fortune from the fisheries of Newfoundland to the slave ports of West Africa. Sanders brings to life a fascinating world of theater and ritual, where men (a third of whom were black) lived a close-knit, egalitarian life, democratically electing their officers and sharing their spoils. They were highly (if surreptitiously) popular with many merchants, with whom they struck incredibly lucrative deals. Yet with a fierce team of Royal Navy pirate hunters tracking his every move, Roberts’ heyday would prove a brief one, and with his capture, the Golden Age of pirates would pass into the lore and legend of books and movies. Based on historical records, journals and letters from pirates under Roberts’ command, and on writings by Roberts himself, If a Pirate I Must Be… is the true story of the greatest pirate ever to sail the Caribbean.
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Fascinating book about Bartholomew Roberts, AKA “Black Bart”, and the “golden age of piracy”. Very well written – loaded with historical details around people, events, and everyday customs (good and bad) in the pirate world. While it primarily follows the rise and fall of Roberts (and his crew), it often segues into side stories about other characters and events that give fuller meaning to the period, and how it impacted the decisions they made.
Roberts is a very colorful character, and the writer takes great care in distinguishing him as different from other pirates of this age. Carefully researched, this book plays out almost like a story, so it’s very easy, and enjoyable to read. – kept my interest to the very end. Love how the final chapter includes the fates of ALL the characters (not just Roberts), so you aren’t left wondering. As far as a historical account – there was nothing dry or “preachy” in this one – just lots of swashbuckling action!
A great book. It strips away the false, Hollywood, view of the pirates life and times. A wonderful education into the life of the notorious Black Bart.
Lots of little known facts about pirate’s lives.
Fascinating biography of John Bartholomew Roberts, aka Black Bart. Corrected many, many misconceptions I had about pirate life and merchant seamen’s lives.
Richard Sander’s history of Bartholomew Roberts, aka John Roberts, aka “Black Bart,” gets off to a bit of a slow start before taking off, in much the same way as Roberts’ own career.
Unlike Blackbeard, whose likeness and story is plastered over much of the Caribbean, and Captain Morgan, who warranted his own run, I didn’t actually know anything about Roberts before I read this book. Pirate tales being a bit removed from my usual reading, I can’t even say how I came across it. I started it much, much earlier this summer, and abandoned it for a time, feeling a bit bogged down by the details of Robert’s upbringing and time as a mate on a slaver. Picking it back up on a recent flight, I discovered I’d quit at the wrong time – within a few pages, Roberts was a full-fledged pirate captain, and his story became much more interesting.
What Sanders does especially well is to tell the story of pirates – how they came into existence, their codes and rules, the necessities of punch (sugar ships were especially vulnerable to pirates, sugar being one of the key ingredients in the pirates’ favorite drink), and how they operated as, essentially, a society unto themselves. In this way, Roberts is an actor in a much larger story, and one that is far more interesting than any single pirate’s biography. Sanders also provides insight into the relations between the British, French, Spanish, and Portuguese empires, as well as the early operation of the slave trade, particularly the deplorable conditions on the ships – for crew, as well as slaves. His conclusion: it’s no wonder so many sailors deserted the slavers for the life of a pirate.
Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum.
(This review was originally published at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2015/09/if-pirate-i-must-be-true-story-of-black.html)
Everyone recognizes the name Black Bart, but hardly anyone knows anything about him. Fascinating man. Many other better known pirates but he was by far the most successful. Covers a largely forgotten chapter of history..
Interesting read on the life of Black Bart the pirate
It was more of a book about pirates than a story involving them. Very informative but much too descriptive of the day to day activities of pirates than a swashbuckler type story.
So you want to be a pirate, with rum, booty and adventure? Read “If a pirate I must be” before you sign the oath. Based on written records, this read deglamorizes a lot of the legend. Given the options available to seagoing men of the day, though – merchant seaman, slave ship crew, British Navy Sailor and Privateer/Pirate – it’s easy to understand why so many chose Yo Ho and a Bottle of Rum!
This isn’t Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean…
The minutiae of everyday pirate life was very revealing, and the common 18th century’s attitude vis-a-vis class or color was illuminating .
Too dry. Could not get into it. Finally just stopped reading it waiting for it to get better
history as it really was. good reading.
The history of Black Bart was interesting and it had more info about pirates than I had seen previously,