While I only have a few issues with the accuracy of these accounts, the style is a little dry and it feels like reading an essay. I actually ended up doing a basic search to see if they had been cribbed from online, and found nothing as most of the online essays are more informative. For anyone researching pirates, these are little more than introductory pieces and you’ll find more information on Wikipedia (the articles are also longer and better cited).

I mentioned a few issues with the accuracy of these accounts, and there are some glaring errors. e.g. L’Ollanais never attacked Gibraltar, he attacked San Antonio de Gibraltar, he did not capture a crew and eat one of their hearts, he captured two Spaniards and ate one captive’s heart to get information on a “safe route” from the other (for anyone curious about whether torture provides accurate information, the ‘safe route’ he was told in this manner led to the wreck that saw L’Ollanais being eaten by natives). It even contradicts itself, the section on Hornigold making it sound as it Blackbeard was present when he was overthrown, while the section on Blackbeard confirms he had already struck out on his own by that point.

The Pirates’ stories are less than half of the ebook (ending on loc 355 of 743). It contains a second ebook about runic alphabets. I skim-read this one, as the writing again felt like pieces cribbed from online and was rather dry. Also it has nothing to do with pirates. And there is a huge broken image at the end.

There are better, more readable books on the same subject, and I really can’t recommend this as more than an introduction to the topic.