Talk like a pirate day...

Since it is something of a day for Pirate conversation, what better subject to discuss than books of a pyratical nature?

Real pirates have always been a great interest of mine and the real deal makes any trumped up film based on a theme ride pale by comparison.

My personal favorite pirate, truth be told, is not even a pirate in the accepted sense. William Kidd was more the legal sort, yet found himself made an example and learned the hard way that far too often tools of big money and politicians find themselves paying the price... Richard Zacks "The Pirate Hunter" tells the tale and just may be one of the best books on the real deal I have ever read...

A quick side note on Kidd is there is a very strong case that he was never really executed and that he lived on under a different name in New York City... "Captain Kidd at St. Thomas Danish West Indies April 6 - April 8, 1699 and the Remarkable Things That Happened !"

Of course, the best means of reading about Pirates and things Pyratical is in fiction, but sadly since Robert Louis Stevenson (much more about RLS on a later date) passed on, most of what has passed for good Pyratical reads have been less than they could be...

So you might want to check out "On Stranger Tides" by Tim Powers (an awesome writer) who does it right in a tale that combines Black Beard, Ponce De Leon and no shortage of Voudou (It being the Caribbean after all!). Way better than a silly theme ride...

Of course, how was I going to do a Talk like a Pirate day post without mentioning "Treasure Island" and the actor Robert Newton who pretty much created the whole talk like a pirate gig?

So here is hoping you have an ample supply of rum and what better way to celebrate the whole talk like a pirate fest by sipping some Demerara as you watch "Treasure Island"... I will be!