Authors Angus Konstam and Roger Michael Kean reveal the truth behind our myths; fairy tales; and Hollywood-inspired images. The reality is; unbelievably; even more intriguing than the flashing swords; talking parrots; and mysterious eye patches portrayed in the movies. In this lavishly illustrated tour through history; you can explore the lives of real pirates; such as Blackbeard; Thomas Tew; and Captain Kidd. Find out how; even today; pirates regularly attack and plunder ships. Discover their motivations; diverse backgrounds; daily lives; and codes of conduct. Peek inside pirate ships; trace their journeys on the map; see their bloody battle; and thrill at the daring; brutal ways in which they live and die.From prehistory to the twenty-first century; whenever trade takes to the sea; the predators are close behind. This new authoritative history details the derring-do of pirate through the ages; analyzing our fascination for the actions of men—and some women—who were; after all; vicious criminals. Packed with illustrations; this volume is the essential companion for every armchair swashbuckler.Skyhorse Publishing; as well as our Arcade imprint; are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II; the Third Reich; Hitler and his henchmen; the JFK assassination; conspiracies; the American Civil War; the American Revolution; gladiators; Vikings; ancient Rome; medieval times; the old West; and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller; we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
#4735602 in Books 2014-11-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .56 x 6.00l; #File Name: 1503111423246 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An Insightful Examination Of What Made The Samurai Tick.By kobodaichiThis is an excellent introduction to Zen Buddhism as practiced by the Samurai of medieval Japan. It carries the reader from Zen's beginnings within the teachings of The Buddha; to the trail of Bodhidharma; the wild -eyed Indian monk who brought the tradition to China; where it fused with the native philosophies of Taoism; and Confucianism. We then see how it traveled to Japan where the influence of Shinto gave it it's uniquely Japanese flavor. Nukariya then explains how this form of meditation practice exerted such a strong influence over the Samurai class of warriors and administrators. It's intensity; fearlessness; and world view fit perfectly with the Bushido ethos of these fierce warriors. If the reader is familiar with Buddhist or Samurai history ; he may find some of the spellings of technical terms a bit confusing at first; but it doesn't take long to catch on to his method. This fusion of Samurai; and Zen lore is appropriate for new or advanced students of Martial Arts and/or comparative religion. A BIG 5 STARS!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good book. Layout needs work.By foxygoodguypirateThe book is very interesting and informative; if a little dry at times.The layout could definitely do with a make over. The footnotes are the major problem. They are just interspersed throughout the chapter (in line with the text) and only denoted by [ ]. Some of them are VERY long; but informative. This disrupts the flow of the book at times.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Beware of this no-page number edition!By G NicholasIf anyone finds it important; please know that this book does not have page numbers on any pages or on the table of contents. Extremely disconcerting considering that many many footnotes ( some quite lengthy) are inserted within the text. Also; one of the chapters begins with "Chapter IV" (Not bolded or larger type to make it easier to catch while fanning through the pages) on the LAST line of one page and the title of the chapter on the top of the next. And considering each individual chapter has sections that are numbered from 1 onward; this is very difficult to navigate.Lastly; there is no copyright page nor real title page. On the last page of the book; a bar code and three lines reads: "Made in the USA;" "San Bernardino; CA;" and the date "12 January 2015." This date was the day I ordered the book. It looks like the book was a print-to-order in a factory. Nothing wrong with that; except the file they used (if the print-to-order guess is true) is TERRIBLE; due to the issues addressed above. The book looks good; but is pretty much useless for any kind of reference or research; or even normal reading for that matter.I ordered it through LLC because I wanted a legitimate copy; and have had trouble before with vendors regarding editions; publishers; and other misrepresentations. One thing I can say positively; is that it came very quickly. Other than that; what a huge snafu!!
