The Golden Age of Piracy; encompassing roughly the first quarter of the eighteenth century; produced some of the most outrageous characters in maritime history. From its earliest days; Charleston was a vital port of call and center of trade; which left it vulnerable to seafaring criminals. The daring exploits of these infamous plunderers made thievery widespread along Charleston's waterfront; but determined citizens would meet the pirate threat head-on. From the "Gentleman Pirate;" Stede Bonnet; to Edward "Blackbeard" Teach and famed pirate hunter and statesman William Rhett; the waters surrounding the Holy City have a history as rocky and wild as the high seas. Join author and tour guide Christopher Byrd Downey as he tells the tales of Charleston during piracy's greatest reign.
#1410330 in Books 2016-12-01Original language:English 9.00 x 1.00 x 6.00l; #File Name: 1607325179208 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. An excellent study; and useful for non-MayanistsBy A Graduate StudentThis is a valuable book for several reasons. First; it is a study of Classic Maya religion that does not have a world tree in sight. Baron's focus on the practice of Classic Maya religion and its interpenetration with political life moves the discipline of Maya studies in the right direction; and provides a useful; contemporary point of entry into Maya studies for scholars in other disciplines. For those of us who have been dissatisfied with the representation of Maya religion and political ideology ("shaman kings!") in the general academic literature for some time; Baron has done the hard work of actually writing something that can communicate more recent ideas to a broader audience.The book is very clearly written; with an unpretentious style free of jargon (all technical terms are defined at the outset); furthering the accessibility of the text.Moreover; the book captures an important recent trend in Maya scholarship towards on-the-ground analyses of how individual Maya states operated. Baron's book offers useful insights in this regard; because she is sensitive to variability in practice between different political communities; and discusses both how patron deity cults were used within particular communities AND in the construction of hierarchical relationships between polities.I give the book 4 rather than 5 stars because of a few minor gripes. First; it's only 172 pages long; minus references and a substantial (useful!) appendix. A few sections of the text could have been expanded to justify the price of admission (this is true of many books in archaeology). Specifically; some of the epigraphic details could have benefited from more extensive discussion. Finally; the specific narrative she proposes as an interpretation of her own excavations--dueling lineages at La Corona; using ancestors and patron deities as competing claims on power--is plausible but some of the links are tenuous (again; an issue all archaeologists confront). I would like to have seen a more extensive discussion of alternative interpretations.These minor criticisms aside; I recommend Baron's book for Mayanists across the board; and for non-Mayanist scholars interested in comparative religion; ritual studies; or the relationship between religious and political practice.
