naval heroes of the
A firsthand account of a nineteenthcentury sealing expedition that recalls the spirit of Herman Melville
160 pp., 18 illus., $29.95
A compelling narrative ofhow American ingenuity solved an international scientific mystery
264 pp., 34 illus., $29.95
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basics, the low-tech methods, because when your electroni cs go haywire, you can't always pull into the next gas station to ask for directions. This is not to say that everyone o n the water today is a skilled celestial navigator, but you might be surprised just how many still strive to m as ter these skills. In additio n to the usefulness to m ariners, the evolution of navigational m ethods and technology is a fascinating study, even fo r those far from the sea. Donald Lauer has been fascinated by the field of navigation, both for practical reasons as a mariner and to assuage his endless curiosity with the subj ect. In Navigation throughout the Ages, he presents the evolutionary path in the field of navigation in a way that anyo ne can read and understand. Unlike hard-core traditionalists, he does not shun the advan ces and user-friendly technology available today, but he embraces it in context with its history. This is not a how-to or a scholarly representation of the top ic, but rather an enjoyable and compelling read fo r anyone who is curious abo ut how people have navigated near and far, fro m antiqui ty to the twenty-first century. D AVI D J AMISCH
O xnard, California
piracy, illuminating the motivation behind the acts of many of history's most infamous pira tes. This book will find a welco me home on the shelves of no t just those interested in
PIRATES' * PACT * The Secret Alliances Between History's Most Notorious Buccaneers and Colonial America
DOUGLAS R. BURGESS, JR.
piracy and its m any, and at times colorful, characters, but also those seeking to gain a more complete understanding of the formative years of the United States of America. J ASON C HAY TOR
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
The Pirate's Pact: The Secret Alliances Between History's Most Notorious Buccaneers and Colonial America by D ouglas R. Burgess, Jr. (M cGraw-Hill, New York, 2009 , 301 pp, notes, sources, index, ISBN 978-0-07-1 47476; $26.95hc) A quote by Justice Sir C harles H edges (page 12) seem s as appropriate today as it did in 1696 when he m ade it, "piracy is only a term for sea robbery ... ." Given the escalating, and particularly brazen acts of piracy presently occurring in the Indian O cean , I found it interesting to make compariso ns between the acts and motivation of the piracy detailed in The Pirates' Pact to those occurring today. Douglas Burgess presents the reader with a thoroughly researched and well-written history of piracy during its golden age and its intimate relationship with colonial America. Drawing on an extensive collection of primary sources, many previously unexploited, Burgess delves into the political, commercial, and legal realities of
Lifesavers of the South Shore: A History of Rescue and Loss by John Galluzzo (The History Press, C harleston, SC, 200 8, 128pp, illus, biblio , ISBN 978- 1-59629224-6; $ 19 .99pb) Lifesavers of the South Shore is a capti vating and important book that delves into the history of the US Lifesaving Service and some of the brave men who selflessly dedicated their lives to the rescue of mariners in peril along the South Shore of M assachusetts. John Galluzzo, a South Shore native, histo rian, and editor, incorporates letters from surfmen, newspaper articles, oral histories, and historical photographs to illustrate the heroism of the lifesaving volunteers whose names are little kn own outside of the state. The autho r presents a comprehensive history of the beginnings of the US Coast G uard, crediting early inspiration for the saving of human life to the Humane Society, an o rgani zation fo rmed in Massachusetts in the eighteenth century.
SEA HISTORY 128, AUTUMN 2009