New Osprey book about Blackbeard

[Swashbuckler 1700]

I don't own much Osprey book, no more than the pirate book (I have discussed a lot about it as you may know) but I have always looked previews etc for interesting books etc.

Now this belongs to Twill as the book is not fiction (well at least it tries to tell the truth)

The book is a part of the new "Raid" series and its name is "Blackbeard’s Last Fight – Pirate Hunting in North Carolina 1718" ( http://www.ospreypublishing.com/store/Blackbeard%E2%80%99s-Last-Fight-%E2%80%93-Pirate-Hunting-in-North-Carolina-1718_9781780961958)

Author: Angus Konstam

Illustrators: Johnny Shumate Mark Stacey

Now my personal thoughts about the book while I don't yet own it.

At first I was quite pleased. I looked the book cover and I didn't saw the same terrible, mythical pirate cliche look with earrings etc. which was troubling Konstam's earlier books (like this ).

Then the author made a far better book. "The Pirate The Golden Age" was good and rather accurate, while I have criticized it quite a bit. My only real complaint about that book was, and still is, the fact that the authors were, I feel, too picky about the evidence and made the pirate appearance and weaponry perhaps too homogeneous.

This Blackbeard book, however, seems to be a small step back to Konstam's older more inaccurate books. Firstly I can see that two things were used to create the illustrations. The first one is the earlier Konstam book "The Pirate: The Golden age" (nothing wrong with that) and the other one is, I could bet, BBC's miniseries about Blackbeard "Blackbeard The Real Pirate of the Caribbean". The series is also know as national Geographic's "Blackbeard Terror at Sea". The series was good and pretty accurate but there were "errors" like bucket boots, earrings and straw tricorns.

Here is the intro of the series is you are interested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJI4Qj9uR9s

Now some may wonder why I think so, as it is not officially said anywhere. Well look it yourself: the book's cover illustration.

Vs James Purefoy in Blackbeard terror at Sea. See the style the hat and even the same Scottish style metal pistol.

I haven't seen the whole book yet but I have seen a couple of illustrations in book previews. There are no earrings, tattoos or too much bandannas as Konstam knows that they are rather unrealistic.So the book is fairly accurate.

But still in the new book there are elements especially the cavalry style boots, sailor's ponytails and straw tricorns that are more or less inaccurate. Also I have read some segments of text and there is said, clearly, that RN officers had official navy uniforms in Blackbeard's time. The text was pretty much like this "Here we have Captain Brand wearing Royal navy post-captain's coat. But his sailors didn't have uniforms." The truth is that Navy had no officer uniforms yet, not until 1748. That is firmly established fact. I think the reason for the uniform error was the miniseries again. There were RN officers with navy blue coats. In Konstam's earlier book British Naval officers had no uniforms and lieutenant Maynard was wearing non-uniform clothes not navy blue uniforms of 1748.

Well here, in a picture which Osprey has put in their site about the book, we have BB wearing bucket boots like he does in that series (I have seen it many many times)

So all in all I just tell you that there is a new book out there. I cannot make actual reviews as I haven't read the whole book but I just said what I thought about the historical accuracy of the book based on the facts I know about it. Now I have nothing against the author or anything but I wonder why this Konstam's book is less accurate than the previous one. In any case this is accurate compared to many other works so thanks for that to the makers and Osprey. The books seems interesting and I think I will buy it someday.

Edited June 21, 2013 by Swashbuckler 1700

[Brit.Privateer]

Good observations,

If I had to summarize what you said, it would be, "Hey Osprey Illustrators, watch National Geographic much?"

Good on you for catching how much of their concepts came from that documentary. Overall, with this publication and the last one, I'm getting more respect for the mainstream publications from Konstam. Bringing a more accurate portrayal of the early eighteenth century will take a long time to fix is all. Also, I can see that the illustrators were trying to incorporate as much available period images and material sources as possible. For instance, that blackbeard cover have the Whydah cartridge boxes, that hat with the large front that's name escapes me at the moment (but you can see it in the Spanish sailor's equipment illustration), and a kind of furry hat I've seen depicted in a 1730s pirate illustration. As mentioned previously, it's a by product of being, "too picky about the evidence and made the pirate appearance and weaponry perhaps too homogeneous." I think a more precise way to put it would be that the historian/illustrator just got obsessed with incorporating as much of the period images/material culture that is available, but at the expense of accuracy. Ironic, to give the appearance of accuracy, they actually hurt the accuracy a bit.

I think when fall comes, I might go obtain these books just to see what Konstam is doing in greater detail.

[Swashbuckler 1700]

Good observations,

If I had to summarize what you said, it would be, "Hey Osprey Illustrators, watch National Geographic much?"

Good on you for catching how much of their concepts came from that documentary. Overall, with this publication and the last one, I'm getting more respect for the mainstream publications from Konstam. Bringing a more accurate portrayal of the early eighteenth century will take a long time to fix is all. Also, I can see that the illustrators were trying to incorporate as much available period images and material sources as possible. For instance, that blackbeard cover have the Whydah cartridge boxes, that hat with the large front that's name escapes me at the moment (but you can see it in the Spanish sailor's equipment illustration), and a kind of furry hat I've seen depicted in a 1730s pirate illustration. As mentioned previously, it's a by product of being, "too picky about the evidence and made the pirate appearance and weaponry perhaps too homogeneous." I think a more precise way to put it would be that the historian/illustrator just got obsessed with incorporating as much of the period images/material culture that is available, but at the expense of accuracy. Ironic, to give the appearance of accuracy, they actually hurt the accuracy a bit.

I think when fall comes, I might go obtain these books just to see what Konstam is doing in greater detail.

Thanks.

Interesting that how Osprey books makes me this talkative.

Firstly I say that it seems that the new more accurate style is, at least party, merit of the other author of "Pirate: The Golden Age", David Rickman. He has made a lot of study in pirate reenacting forum of "Pirate Brethren". I think Konstam himself has focused on more general things and David in the clothing and such. At least David wrote the clothing section of "Pirate". However in this new Blackbeard book Konstam is the only author.

Having read the other book I make notes of the hats you mentioned:

The large fronted cap is probably supposed to be a leather cap with red cloth facing as mentioned in the RN slops. In the earlier book there was guessed that the caps would have been something like "Jockey caps with upturned peaks". Also the illustrations showed them as leather caps.

And the similar fur hats can be seen earlier than 1730s actually as early as 1690s, if not even earlier http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/image_lib/EnglandsSafety.jpg

and about the straw hats:

Also I think the illustrator(s) got confused as in the earlier book there were a lot of tan brimmed wool hats based on this one http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/images/bk-ptg-navy.jpg. and see the picture in "Pirate: The Golden Age" http://www.edinburghwargames.com/J57%20Images/Recruitment002.jpg

They look a lot like straw hats and in the book the authors didn't say what kind of hats they were. Add this the hats of "Blackbeard Terror at Sea" http://www.linternaute.com/television/dossier/05/barbe-noire/images/3second.jpg And you have sailors wearing different versions of those hats and some hybrid hats. So the hats are understandable. As for the clear straw tricorns: who knows if they aren't really inaccurate, but there is no actual evidence for them, at least related to seamen or pirates, so I consider them unrealistic. There is a better picture of the new Blackbeard book which I saw in the Google books preview and there was similar hat than in the miniseries.

And I must say that well there is nothing actually "Wrong" with the navy blue coats of RN officers. Like I have said in "Uniform colors" thread some English navy officer favored blue in their clothing even before the uniforms of 1748. However it was not uniform and many officer dressed also in reds, greens or browns. There was a picture in the new book that is not shown here were there was captain Brand dressed like the uniform of 1748 and the text said it to be navy uniform of post-captain. Also Maynard of the last picture of my original posts is wearing rather similar suit but a plainer coat. Just if you wonder where I see the naval officers.The only real error is that they are called uniforms otherwise they could well be wearing dark blue coats.

And The Blackbeard's fine suit looks quite OK to me, at least -without the boots. My humble opinion though....

For closer look I recommend Google-books preview.

Edited June 22, 2013 by Swashbuckler 1700

[Swashbuckler 1700]

Facepalm

I found one of the illustrations in larger size. (From an odd site but it is from that book nevertheless) And what I see

http://s5.goodfon.ru/image/502669-3194x2105.jpg

-earrings

-tattoos

-cavarly style boots

-blackbeard has a cutlass of later fashion

What is remarkable is that "Pirate:The Golden Age" Book had none of these in its illustration ( I am certain as I have the book).

Compare that with the earlier book's illustration http://www.edinburghwargames.com/J57%20Images/Battlecolor.jpg

Why it has changed back to the more inaccurate style? The Pirate The Golden Age was, in my humble opinion, even excessive realistic with both text and illustrations.

Anyway I think I will buy the new Blackbeard book someday.....

Edited September 23, 2013 by Swashbuckler 1700