Quote:
Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8
Admittedly, this audiobook will not be for everyone.
I generally do not "go for" revisionist histories, of which this is one. I'll take some things said in the audiobook with a grain of salt. But I thought that this audiobook/book might make an entertaining listen/read, and a truly educational one except for, perhaps, the revisionist matter.
Of course, it's a fantastic bargain compared to the regular Audible price for the audio alone, or I wouldn't be posting it (or buying it for myself). In this case, the Whispersync deal (audiobook, ebook, and syncing) is only 31% of the price of the audiobook alone at Audible.
BTW--the author apparently argues that walking the plank never happened. And, a question that I hope he answers: did pirates really go around saying "har" all of the time? Maybe the book will tell . . . .
Title: Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates.
Genre: Non-Fiction (Naval/Caribbean & West Indies).
Author(s): David Cordingly.
Price: $6.48 ($1.99 ebook (marked down) + $4.49 Whispersync audio).
Regular Price of Audio, by Itself, at Audible: $20.95 (1 credit).
Ebook Rating/Number of Reviews: 4.3 stars/228 reviews, with a good distribution (Amazon).
Audio Rating/Number of Ratings: 3.8/116 ratings.
Pages/Audio Length: 336/10 hours and 34 minutes.
Narrator(s): Don Hagen.
Audible URL: http://www.audible.com/pd/History/Un...ok/B006FKPGO4/.
Amazon URL (you can get the whole Whispersync deal here): https://www.amazon.com/Under-Black-F.../dp/B004FEG2R2.
Comments: The book is the #1 seller in the Kindle store in one category; it is also #1 in one physical books category at Amazon.
Book Description (Amazon):
For this rousing, revisionist history, the former head of exhibitions at England's National Maritime Museum has combed original documents and records to produce a most authoritative and definitive account of piracy's "Golden Age." As he explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking the plank" is pure fiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth that is more complex and often bloodier. 16 pp. of photos. Maps.
From the Hardcover edition. |
I notice that the ebook is still marked down to $1.99, so the WS deal, for $6.48, continues.
I've been listening to the audio. Pretty interesting stuff. Very interesting at some points.
The narrator speaks with a matter-of-factly voice, That's okay, for me, with this book, because the subject matter will keep your interest anyway. I didn't delve into the reasons for the fairly low (3.8) audio rating, but I wouldn't be surprised if the lukewarm ratings weren't in large part for the narrator's matter-of-factly narration.
I'm no experts on pirates. But, I've listened to about 1/3 of the book and I really haven't heard any revisionism to speak of. The author does dismiss the "walking the plank" business as myth, saying that the pirates had a lot of other things to do than stand around and watch one of those (they were much more into cutting up, slashing, and chopping up victims, it seems).