MARY CONWAY applauds the revival of a tense, and extremely funny, study of men, money and playing cards
Pirate of the Realm
ALEX HALL has suspicions that a biography of the legendary 17th century pirate has levelled its spyglass at the silver screen
PIRATES AHOY: The Pirates Own Book,1837, woodcut illustrations of Captain Henry Avery receiving the three chests of treasure on board of his ship Fancy
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FIONA O’CONNOR steps warily through a novel that skewers many of the exposed flanks of the over-privileged
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ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy
Sean Kingsley and Rex Cowan
Pegasus Books, £22
SEAN KINGSLEY and Rex Cowan claim they have solved a great mystery and uncovered a greater tale underneath.
This is the story of Henry Avery, born in the 1660s in or around Plymouth, who followed in his father’s footsteps as a seaman. In the 17th century this meant international trade, slavery and maritime warfare between imperialist powers.
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