Book Review: Blackbeard the Pirate by Robert E. Lee

Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times by Robert E. Lee

This thoroughly researched biography of Edward Teach gives a bit of his origin, a lot of his piratical career as Blackbeard, and some other historical information as well. The book has fifty pages of end notes, along with an extensive bibliography and index. The text is highly reliable, especially as it considers the value of some contemporary accounts of Blackbeard's life and death. Those are narrated by people who have a lot less objectivity than they claim.

Teach began life in Bristol, England, probably around 1680. Pirates often took assumed names and did not give many (if any) family details to protect their relatives from reprisals. Teach doesn't appear as a pirate in the American colonies until the early 1700s, first being a sailor for another pirate, Captain Hornigold, before striking out on his own. Teach grew a great beard and kitted himself with a big coat and bandoliers stuffed with pistols to create an intimidating appearance. His brutal behavior added to his appearance, giving him an infamous reputation. That reputation made it easier to be a pirate, since victims would often not put up a fight against a desperate and despicable character. Blackbeard had a lot of exciting adventures, blockading Charleston, capturing ships at sea, wedding many women, and dying dramatically at a battle on Ocracoke Island in November 1718. The stories of his life are well told in this book.

The book also includes historical background about the England, who used piracy to advance their ongoing wars with Spain and France, and about the colonies, whose governments were more or less competent at dealing with piracy. Pirates were definitely a problem for the King's subjects living far away from the homeland. The Virginia colony government was much more aggressive and ambitious in dealing with pirates (and Blackbeard in particular) since they had many more resources than the Carolina colonies. The political detail gets too detailed at points, describing extended family histories of characters only tangentially related to Blackbeard and piracy. I found my eyes glazing over in many chapters. I drew the conclusion that the information was added to make the text book-length (the text is only 174 pages). 

The book is a mixed bag. The Blackbeard information is interesting and exciting. A lot of the political background is less colorful and engaging. An editor could probably take out 50 to 70 pages and make it a much better narrative.

Mildly recommended.

Sample quote, from a contemporary newspaper account of Blackbeard's death, which is probably less reliable but very colorful:

...one of Maynard's [he was the leader of the assault on Blackbeard] men being a Highlander, ingaged Teach with his broad Sword, who gave Teach a cut on the Neck, Teach saying well done Lad, the Highlander reply'd, if it be not well done, I'll do it better, with that he gave him a second stroke, which cut off his Head, laying it flat on his Shoulder. [spelling and punctuation in the original Boston News-Letter number 776, a weekly whose account was published at the end of February, 1719]