THE HISTORY OF THE BUCANIERS OF AMERICA. Containing, I. The Exploits and Adventures of Le Grand, Lolonois, Roche Brasillano, Sir H[enry] Morgan, &c. II. The dangerous Voyage and bold Attempts of Capt. Sharp, Watlin.and others, in the South Sea. III. A Journal of a Voyage into the South Sea by the Free-booters of Amrca from 1684 to 1689. IV. A Relation of a Voyage of the Sieur de Montauban, Captain of the Free-booters, in Guinea, in the Year 1695. Exhibiting A particular Account and Description of Porto Bello, Chagre, Panama, Cuba, Havanna and most of the Spanish Possessions on the Coasts of the West Indies.with the Manner in which they have been invaded, attempted, or taken by these Adventurers

2 volumes. Fifth edition. The Rare 1771 Earliest Imprint. The more usual imprint dated 1774. Large 12mo, full contemporary calf, the spine panel renewed, raised bands, one red morocco label lettered in gilt. [4], 318; [2], 360, [12 Index] pp. A very good copy, internally quite fresh and clean.

Edizione: rare early printing of the cornerstone work of all books on piracy and the exploits of the bucaniers and free-booters. "perhaps no book in any language was ever the parent of so many imitations, and the source of so many fictions as this" (sabin). here are the exploits of henry morgan, who sacked panama and absconded without dividing the booty--a transgression of the pirate's honor that exquemelin could not applaud; here also the vicious francis l'ollonois, who tore out the hearts from his still-living victims and ate them; here are countless tortures and robberies, raids and rampages, as related by a reliable witness. for exquemelin was himself a pirate: he had been sold into slavery in the west indian plantations, beaten, tortured, and nearly starved to death, and "so i determined, not knowing how to get any living, to enter into the order of the pirates or robbers of the sea." his career lasted from 1666 until he saw the error of his ways and withdrew from the profession in 1672.<br> 'alexandre olivier exquemelin (also spelled esquemeling, exquemeling, or oexmelin) (c. 1645–1707) was a french, dutch or flemish writer best known as the author of one of the most important sourcebooks of 17th-century piracy, first published in dutch as de americaensche zee-roovers, in amsterdam, by jan ten hoorn, in 1678.<br> born about 1645, it is likely that exquemelin was a native of honfleur, france, who on his return from buccaneering settled in holland, possibly because he was a huguenot. in 1666 he was engaged by the french west india company and went to tortuga, where he worked as an indentured servant for three years. there he enlisted with the buccaneers, in particular with the band of henry morgan, whose confidante he was, probably as a barber-surgeon, and remained with them until 1674. shortly afterwards he returned to europe and settled in amsterdam where he qualified professionally as a surgeon, his name appearing on the 1679 register of the dutch surgeons' guild. however, he was later once again in the caribbean as his name appears on the muster-roll as a surgeon in the attack on cartagena in 1697.' wiki<br> "esquemeling's book gives a very reliable account of the principal exploits of the buccaneers down to their final disappearance, with the notable exception of their adventures in the south sea, of which he makes no mention. but additional to this volume are the third and fourth part relating adventures and exploits of the bucaniers from 1685 to 1695 including a number in the south sea by sieur ravenau de lussan and the sieur de montauban.<br> the bucaniers of america is the foundation of any pirate collection, an important part of any collection of voyages, and a seminal piece of americana.