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Sons of the Waves
- The Common Seaman in the Heroic Age of Sail
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
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Sons of the Waves
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Publisher's summary
A brilliant telling of the history of the common seaman in the age of sail and his role in Britain's trade, exploration, and warfare
British maritime history in the age of sail is full of the deeds of officers like Nelson but has given little voice to plain, "illiterate" seamen. Now, Stephen Taylor draws on published and unpublished memoirs, letters, and naval records, including court-martials and petitions, to present these men in their own words.
In this exhilarating account, ordinary seamen are far from the hapless sufferers of the press gangs. Proud and spirited, learned in their own fashion, with robust opinions and the courage to challenge overweening authority, they stand out from their less adventurous compatriots.
Taylor demonstrates how the sailor was the engine of British prosperity and expansion up to the Industrial Revolution. From exploring the South Seas with Cook to establishing the East India Company as a global corporation, from the sea battles that made Britain a superpower to the crisis of the 1797 mutinies, these "sons of the waves" held the nation's destiny in their calloused hands.
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- By peter on 02-02-21
By: Stephen Taylor
-
Blackbeard
- America's Most Notorious Pirate
- By: Angus Konstam
- Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 103
Of all the colorful cutthroats who scoured the seas in search of plunder during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early 18th century, none was more ferocious or notorious than Blackbeard. As unforgettable as his savage career was, much of Blackbeard's life has been shrouded in mystery - until now. Drawing on vivid descriptions of Blackbeard's attacks from his rare surviving victims, pirate expert Angus Konstam traces Blackbeard's career from its beginnings to his final defeat in a tremendous sea battle near his base at Ocracoke Island
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4 out of 5 stars
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It’s alright
- By B. Williams on 02-26-21
By: Angus Konstam
-
In Search of a Kingdom
- Francis Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire
- By: Laurence Bergreen
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 727
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 616
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 611
In this grand and thrilling narrative, the acclaimed biographer of Magellan, Columbus, and Marco Polo brings alive the singular life and adventures of Sir Francis Drake, the pirate/explorer/admiral whose mastery of the seas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I changed the course of history.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Better than the text
- By Bramante on 04-07-21
-
The Real Hornblower
- The Life and Times of Admiral Sir James Gordon
- By: Bryan Perrett
- Narrated by: Ron Bottitta
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
In this thoroughly researched book the author argues convincingly that Forester's model was Adm. James Gordon, a flesh-and-blood hero of Nelson's navy. Gordon entered the Royal Navy as a semi-literate eleven-year-old and rose to become Admiral of the Fleet. He took part in major sea battles, frigate actions, single-ship duels, and operations far behind enemy lines. It was the fire of Gordon's ships against Fort McHenry that inspired the American national anthem.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Missing final chapter
- By Byron on 03-27-19
By: Bryan Perrett
-
Seize the Fire
- Heroism, Duty, and the Battle of Trafalgar
- By: Adam Nicolson
- Narrated by: Adam Nicolson
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 120
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 88
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 89
Adam Nicolson takes the great naval battle of Trafalgar, fought between the British and Franco-Spanish fleets in October 1805, and uses it to examine our idea of heroism and the heroic. A story rich with modern resonance, Seize the Fire reveals the economic impact of the battle as a victorious Great Britain emerged as a global commercial empire. Nicolson not only vividly describes the brutal realities of battle but enters the hearts and minds of the men who were there.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
great narration
- By Tito on 12-06-17
By: Adam Nicolson
-
Wolf of the Deep
- Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama
- By: Stephen Fox
- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 48
In July 1862, Confederate Captain Raphael Semmes took command of a secret new warship. At the helm of the Alabama, he became the most hated and feared man along the Union coast, as well as a Confederate legend. Now, with unparalleled authority, depth, and a vivid sense of the excitement and danger of the time, Stephen Fox describes Captain Semmes's remarkable wartime exploits.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Wolf of the Deep
- By Sammi on 08-18-07
By: Stephen Fox
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John Paul Jones
- Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy
- By: Evan Thomas
- Narrated by: Dan Cashman
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 196
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 123
John Paul Jones is more than a great sea story. Jones is a character for the ages. John Adams called him the "most ambitious and intriguing officer in the American Navy." The renewed interest in the Founding Fathers reminds us of the great men who made this country, but John Paul Jones teaches us that it took fighters as well as thinkers, men driven by dreams of personal glory as well as high-minded principle to break free of the past and start a new world. Jones' spirit was classically American.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Swashbuckler or Saviour
- By Bruce on 03-16-04
By: Evan Thomas
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Last Flag Down
- The Epic Journey of the Last Confederate Warship
- By: John Baldwin, Ron Powers
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 88
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 55
As the Confederacy felt itself slipping beneath the Union juggernaut in late 1864, the South launched a desperate counteroffensive to force a standoff. Its secret weapon? A state-of-the-art raiding ship whose mission was to sink the U.S. merchant fleet. The raider's name was Shenandoah, and her executive officer was Conway Whittle, a 24-year-old warrior.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Good all around
- By Rob on 01-19-08
By: John Baldwin, and others
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Enemy of All Mankind
- A True Story of Piracy, Power, and History's First Global Manhunt
- By: Steven Johnson
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 345
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 286
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 288
Henry Every was the 17th century’s most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular - and wildly inaccurate - reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Every’s most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a major shift in the global economy. Enemy of All Mankind focuses on one key event - the attack on an Indian treasure ship by Every and his crew - and its surprising repercussions across time and space.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Slow
- By Gary V Howell on 06-07-20
By: Steven Johnson
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Marooned
- Jamestown, Shipwreck, and a New History of America's Origin
- By: Joseph Kelly
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 22
We all know the great American origin story: It begins with an exodus. Fleeing religious persecution, the hardworking, pious Pilgrims thrived in the wilds of New England, where they built their fabled "shining city on a hill". Legend goes that the colony in Jamestown was a false start, offering a cautionary tale of lazy louts who hunted gold till they starved and shiftless settlers who had to be rescued by English food and the hard discipline of martial law.
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4 out of 5 stars
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“Breath-y” narration bit great book
- By NBerg on 02-15-20
By: Joseph Kelly
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Under the Black Flag
- The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates
- By: David Cordingly
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 343
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 303
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 305
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.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Lacks Nuance
- By Joel Langenfeld on 07-02-15
By: David Cordingly
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Love and Hate in Jamestown
- John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Start of a New Nation
- By: David A. Price
- Narrated by: Josh Innerst
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
Drawing on period letters and chronicles, and on the papers of the Virginia Company - which financed the settlement of Jamestown - David Price tells a tale of cowardice and courage, stupidity and brilliance, tragedy and costly triumph. He takes us into the day-to-day existence of the English men and women whose charge was to find gold and a route to the Orient, and who found, instead, hardship and wretched misery. Death, in fact, became the settlers' most faithful companion, and their infighting was ceaseless.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Five Star History!
- By Damian on 08-13-23
By: David A. Price
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Rebels at Sea
- Privateering in the American Revolution
- By: Eric Jay Dolin
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 47
The heroic story of the founding of the US Navy during the Revolution has been told many times, yet largely missing from maritime histories of America's first war is the ragtag fleet of private vessels that truly revealed the new nation's character. In Rebels at Sea, Eric Jay Dolin corrects that significant omission, and contends that privateers, as they were called, were in fact critical to the American victory. Privateers were privately owned vessels that were granted permission by the new government to seize British merchantmen and men of war.
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3 out of 5 stars
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If you can get over the narrator...
- By Toby Everett on 09-20-22
By: Eric Jay Dolin
-
A Rage for Glory
- The Life of Commodore Stephen Decatur, USN
- By: James Tertius de Kay
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 23
Acclaimed author James Tertius de Kay recounts the lifeof Commodore Stephen Decatur in the first new biography of the great naval hero in almost 70 years. De Kay draws on material unavailable to previous biographers to explore Decatur’s extraordinary life. From his burning of the Philadelphia to his capture of the HMS Macedonian, Decatur demonstrated his legendary bravery at every turn.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent writing and exciting story
- By mikey on 08-02-19
-
The Great Explorers
- The European Discovery of America
- By: Samuel Eliot Morison
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 25 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 72
The great voyages of discovery to the New World are here brought to life by one of the 20th century's most eminent historians, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Samuel Morison. A master seaman himself, Morison personally retraced the voyages of the early explorers, charting his travels in maps and photographs and comparing these to the maps and travelogues of the early sailors.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Good Book, but don't download until audible fixes the skipping
- By Jeff on 04-28-17
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Cochrane
- The Real Master and Commander
- By: David Cordingly
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 169
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 109
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 110
Nicknamed le loup des mers ("the sea wolf") by Napoleon, Thomas Cochrane was one of the most daring and successful naval heroes of all time. In this fascinating account of Cochrane's life, historian David Cordingly unearths startling new details about the real-life "Master and Commander", from his daring exploits against the French navy to his role in the liberation of Chile, Peru, and Brazil, and the shock exchange scandal that forced him out of England and almost ended his naval career.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
There is a better book on Lord Cochrane
- By Mark G on 07-20-15
By: David Cordingly
-
The Republic of Pirates
- Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down
- By: Colin Woodard
- Narrated by: Lewis Grenville
- Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,074
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,102
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,062
In the early 18th century, the Pirate Republic was home to some of the great pirate captains, including Blackbeard, "Black Sam" Bellamy, and Charles Vane. Along with their fellow pirates - former sailors, indentured servants, and runaway slaves - this "Flying Gang" established a crude but distinctive democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which servants were free, Blacks could be equal citizens, and leaders were chosen or deposed by a vote.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Audible is better
- By CaptainRavick on 01-19-16
By: Colin Woodard
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3 out of 5 stars
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OK
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4 out of 5 stars
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Samuel Leech provides a fascinating account of life as a sailor in the War of 1812 and through early 19th century. It is a remarkable account of a man who, until the conflict with the USS United States, had fought British Navy but after that battle changed allegiance to the United States and continued sailing with her navy for a further four years. A perfect addition to any sailor's library, A Voice from the Main Deck is a vivid account of life at sea in the early 19th century.
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The Indian Ocean was the final battleground for Nelson's navy and France. At stake was Britain's commercial lifeline to India: and its strategic capacity to wage war in Europe.
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3 out of 5 stars
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OK
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The East Indiaman
- Percival Merewether Series, Book 1
- By: Ellis K. Meacham
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
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4 out of 5 stars
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A Rousing Tale
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 25
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 22
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4 out of 5 stars
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More religion than sailing
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Storm and Conquest
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 18
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4 out of 5 stars
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Pirates
- A New History, from Vikings to Somali Raiders
- By: Peter Lehr
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
Ranging from the Vikings and Wako pirates in the Middle Ages to modern day Somali pirates, Lehr delves deep into what motivates pirates and how they operate. He also illuminates the state's role in the development of piracy throughout history: from privateers sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth to pirates operating off the coast of Africa taking the law into their own hands. After exploring the structural failures which create fertile ground for pirate activities, Lehr evaluates the success of counter-piracy efforts - and the reasons behind its failures.
By: Peter Lehr
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Why We Love Pirates
- The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever
- By: Rebecca Simon PhD
- Narrated by: Kate Mulligan
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 72
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 69
During his life and even after his death, Captain William Kidd’s name was known around England and the American colonies. He was infamous for the very crime for which he was hanged, piracy. This book by Rebecca Simon dives into the details of the two-year manhunt for Captain Kidd and the events that ensued afterward. Captain Kidd was hanged in 1701, and from that sprung a massive hunt for all pirates led by the British during a period known as the Golden Age of Piracy. Ironically, public executions only led to pirates’ growth in popularity and interest.
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2 out of 5 stars
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aweful unless a 6th grade book report
- By Mike in NC on 03-13-22
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The Golden Ocean
- By: Patrick O'Brian
- Narrated by: John Franklyn-Robbins
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 484
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 395
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 393
This is the first novel Patrick O'Brian ever wrote about the sea, a precursor to the Aubrey/Maturin series. The Golden Ocean shares the high-seas adventure and rich humor of this triumphant series, invoking the eloquent style and authentic historic atmosphere that O'Brian fans love so much. In 1740, two young Irishmen, lifelong friends Peter and Sean, join Commodore Anson and his crew on their quest for fortune and fame on the golden ocean.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
A wonderful prequel to Master and Commander
- By Jeffrey Bernstein on 01-02-11
By: Patrick O'Brian
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The Only Life That Mattered
- The Short and Merry Lives of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackham
- By: James L. Nelson
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 17
Fed up with an outlaw existence, Calico Jack Rackam swears off the pirate life, but he hasn’t reckoned with Anne Bonny, a woman who would as soon stab a man as give him a good tumble—that is, unless he’s a pirate. Soon Jack finds himself out on the high seas again, with Anne by his side and his men spoiling for action. And when they capture a Dutch merchant ship, they pick up an unlikely crewmate as well, an expert sword fighter and topmast seaman who has a secret: he just happens to be a woman named Mary. Together they cut a bold swath through the West Indies.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Love James Nelson’s work, always excellent!
- By Cherri on 07-14-23
By: James L. Nelson
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The Pirate World
- A History of the Most Notorious Sea Robbers
- By: Angus Konstam
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
Often romanticized in print and on the silver screen, real-life pirates were a brutal menace that plagued the high seas. In this book, Angus Konstam separates myth from reality, tracing the history of piracy through the centuries, from the pirates who plagued the Ancient Egyptians to the Viking raids and on to the era of privateers. He discusses the so-called "Golden Age of Piracy" and colorful characters such as Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, before examining the West's initial encounters with Eastern pirates off the Chinese coast and the phenomenon of the modern pirate.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Narration is so freaking bad
- By Matt on 03-25-19
By: Angus Konstam
-
Sailing a Serious Ocean
- Sailboats, Storms, Stories and Lessons Learned from 30 Years at Sea
- By: John Kretschmer
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 966
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 843
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Story5 out of 5 stars 834
After sailing 300,000 miles and weathering dozens of storms in all the world's oceans, John Kretschmer has plenty of stories and advice to share. John's offshore training passages sell out a year in advance, and his entertaining presentations are popular at boat shows and yacht clubs all over the English-speaking world. John's talent for storytelling enchants his audience as it soaks up the lessons he learned during his often challenging voyages. Now you can take a seat next to John - at a lesser cost - and get the knowledge you need to fulfill your own dream of blue-water adventure.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic book on ocean sailing
- By Aleksander Styrvold Kristoffersen on 05-09-19
By: John Kretschmer
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The Life of Horatio Lord Nelson
- By: Robert Southey
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 276
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 234
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 232
Having entered the British Navy at the age of 12, Horatio Lord Nelson achieved the rank of captain at the age of 20. As captain, he was quickly recognized as a magnetic and controversial figure. He triumphed at Cape St. Vincent and the Nile, but failed at Tenefife and Boulogne. With the glories of Copenhagen and Trafalgar yet ahead of him, his ardent passion for Emma Hamilton, the wife of a British Ambassador, cast a heavy shadow over his career.
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5 out of 5 stars
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great story!
- By Katie Sullivan on 07-19-15
By: Robert Southey
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Struggle for Sea Power
- A Naval History of the American Revolution
- By: Sam Willis
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 122
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 108
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 107
The American Revolution was a naval war of immense scope and variety, including no less than 22 navies fighting on five oceans - to say nothing of rivers and lakes. In no other war were so many large-scale fleet battles fought, one of which was the most strategically significant naval battle in all of British, French, and American history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic perspective on American Revolution
- By J. Mar on 04-20-21
By: Sam Willis
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Fatal Forecast
- An Incredible True Story of Disaster and Survival at Sea
- By: Michael Tougias
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 652
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 561
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 561
Fatal Forecast chronicles a dramatic fight for survival aboard two small fishing boats that were ambushed by a horrific surprise storm just southeast of Cape Cod. Soon after the Fair Wind and the Sea Fever reached the fishing ground at Georges Bank, they were hit with hurricane-force winds and massive 90-foot waves that battered the boats for hours. The direction of the wind made it impossible to turn back.
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5 out of 5 stars
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outstanding read...the story behind the story
- By James on 02-08-16
By: Michael Tougias
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The Lion at Sea
- Captain Kelly Maguire Trilogy Series, Book 1
- By: Max Hennessy
- Narrated by: Christopher Weeks
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 28
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Kelly Maguire knew from a young age that he could accomplish great things. As World War I begins, Kelly enlists in the Royal Navy, hoping to win both the war and glory. But from the barbarous battles of Gallipoli to the nightmarish action of Antwerp, Kelly learns the trials a soldier must face: trials that will forge him into a man. As the epic battle of Jutland approaches, everything is at stake.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great Navy Tale
- By David on 10-21-20
By: Max Hennessy
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The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire
- The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History
- By: Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 21 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 356
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 314
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 313
The loss of America was a stunning and unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire. Common wisdom has held that incompetent military commanders and political leaders in Britain must have been to blame, but were they? This intriguing audiobook makes a different argument. Weaving together the personal stories of ten prominent men historian Andrew O'Shaughnessy dispels the incompetence myth and uncovers the real reasons that rebellious colonials were able to achieve victory.
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5 out of 5 stars
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It didn't lose me
- By Matt on 04-28-15
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The Life, Adventures and Piracies of Captain Singleton
- By: Daniel Defoe
- Narrated by: Eric Brooks
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 28
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 25
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Story4 out of 5 stars 25
Daniel Defoe (1659-1661 to 1731) was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. The Life, Adventures, and Piracies of Captain Singleton is one of his earliest novels. The narrative describes the life of an Englishman, stolen from a well-to-do family as a child and raised by Gypsies, who eventually makes his way to sea.
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2 out of 5 stars
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really poor reading
- By Sandra on 08-22-21
By: Daniel Defoe
What listeners say about Sons of the Waves
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ZheG
- 11-30-22
Amazing, everything I want from a book
I’m glad I bought this, so excellent, great writing, many quotes research, freaking wow. Devoured it
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. Mar
- 09-29-22
Depiction of the Average Seaman
I like reading the histories of Nelson and Pellew, etc , but this book is unique in that it drew a picture of life for the every day sailor. Despite what the author says, in my experience much of that 18th century spirit in sailors is still alive in the crews of the mechanized beasts that prowl the seas today. Traveling the oceans has undoubtedly changed significantly but some things have remained the same.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lexcast
- 06-17-20
Navy Guy Recommends this Title
This subject is of particular interest to me. A Factual glimpse into the life and times the of the working sailor during the British Golden Age of Sail. Narrator has an excellent cadence in "BBC-English". No voice acting in this book.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- B. Dillon
- 02-27-24
An amazing account!
I can only imagine what it must have been like from the press gangs for filling the numbers for war, to battling slavery. The endurance of man in hardship is incredible. The fact that sailors were flogged and suffered other inhumane cruelty is astounding. What a great listen!
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Veronica
- 03-31-24
What a depressing warped sense of seafaring
This book is not only depressing, barely accurate, not representing life onboard a vessel or the mindset of a sailor. It’s alarming to me that anyone could view and write about a subject they obviously have no idea about
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Avk ltk
- 03-24-21
A Good Listen But Could be Shorter
This was a pretty good read. I find the life and customs of 18 and 19 century Royal British Sailors fascinating. This books gives an excellent treatment of the the subject matter. I did think that the author could have been lighter on some topics and heavier on others.
The narrator for most of the book mispronounced forecastle throughout the book which was slightly irksome.
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1 person found this helpful