The Adventures of Augie March (Penguin Classics)

Book Description

As soon as it first appeared in 1953, this gem by the great Saul Bellow was hailed as an American classic. Bold, expansive, and keenly humorous, The Adventures of Augie March blends street language with literary elegance to tell the story of a poor Chicago boy growing up during the Great Depression. A “born recruit,” Augie makes himself available for hire by plungers, schemers, risk takers, and operators, compiling a record of choices that is—to say the least— eccentric.

Customer Reviews:

The Great American Novel.......2007-08-24

For a while I was intrigued by the description of "The Adventures of Augie March" as a "great American novel" because all the time that Augie spends in Chicago (and a couple suburbs) could have come from Dickens, transplanting Depression-era Chicago for Victorian London and Mrs. Renling for Miss Haversham, and so forth. When I thought about it deeper and looked more closely I decided what gave this "great American novel" status is not the story itself but the underlying sense of optimism as Augie never loses hope even after the love of his life leaves him and his Merchant Marine freighter gets torpedoed. It's that same spirit that sent explorers to these shores and propelled pioneers ever westward in search of Manifest Destiny.

For the obligatory plot summary, this is the story of Augie March. He grows up with his feeble-spirited mother and focused brother Simon under the control of "Grandma" Lauch, who is not their real grandma but an imperial Russian immigrant. As he gets out into the workforce (this being the Roaring Twenties he does so at a very young age) Augie works a variety of legal and illegal jobs for people like the paraplegic real estate guru Einhorn, the fussy Mrs. Renling, and his brother among others. He joins an attempt to smuggle in Canadian immigrants, steals and resells books to fund his education, and makes some shady dealings for a shady New York lawyer in post-WWII Europe. Along the way, Augie is always in search of the meaning of life. He thinks he finds it after following the beautiful Thea to Mexico to train an eagle to hunt lizards, then again after she breaks his heart and he marries the aspiring actress Stella. But in the end it's the journey that's more important than finding any concrete answer.

As far as criticisms go the sentences are often long and wordy and overloaded with obscure references to ancient history and religion and literature. Some of the characters like the Einhorns and Renlings and his in-laws the Magnuses seem largely repetitious. It's also a little too convenient that whenever Augie seems to be in a jam some old acquaintance pops up to give him a job or some advice.

But I'm willing to look past that and embrace the spirit of the story, the optimism of a man searching for meaning among meaninglessness. Compared to that, other concerns are really just a trifle.

BTW, if you're a fan of Dickens or contemporaries like John Irving then this is right up your alley. It is truly a classic.

Dislikable Narrator.......2007-07-19

Augie is born in the early nineteen-hundreds in Chicago. He doesn't have a father. Nobody seems to know who, exactly, left his simple-minded mother alone with Augie, his ambitious older brother Simon, and their mentally retarded younger brother George. Right from childhood, Augie floats from one thing to the next, influenced by whomever he is with. An old woman who appoints herself the boys' surrogate grandmother moves in and tries to shape their lives, and Augie works the jobs she sets up, tells the lies she instructs him to tell, and hands over his money to her.

During his teen years, Augie continues to drift from one situation to the next, letting himself fall in with thieves and becoming one of them, or letting himself fall in with rich folks and feeling at home with them.

Girls flatter him and get him to do things for them--travel long distances, lend them money, help them escape from unpleasant husbands. Augie seems to always feel like he is meant for better things than the rest of those around him. He talks about taking the high road, not allowing the rich couple for whom he works adopt him and make him their heir or not consenting to marry his brother Simon's rich cousin-in-law. But then Augie never finds his own path to greatness, or, indeed, does anything notable in his life. It seems that all of his self-important ideals simply allow him to live as a bum without having to feel guilty about it.

I found the story very draggy, and I really disliked the character of Augie. He had no motivation to do anything and his so-called "adventures" consisted of him following whomever had recently caught his attention into whatever scheme he or she proposed, regardless of the consequences or the hardship his actions caused those surrounding him. This was a tough book to finish.

Simply Epic.......2007-07-12

I completely understand why many people commented that they could not get into the book. It took me four go's before I got into it enough to finish it, but once I pushed past the first 30 pages or so, you start to see the brilliance of the novel and the brilliance of Saul Bellow. This novel may very well be the last "epic" and truly expansive novel to have been written, quite frankly, because it's so difficult to juggle social commentary and heady ideas in an interesting package. I'm certain any review of mine would fail to do the book justice, but one way to look at it is an "On the Road" with textual meat to it, in that Bellow heaps on the observation and the commentary where Kerouac leaves it alone. Augie is a traveller who tries to find his own way in the world, only to ultimately reach a somewhat stagnant, but fulfilling place in the world. The novel has everything you would need for pleasure in that enough action takes place to satiate you, but it also speaks to you on a deeper, almost spiritual level as it asks you to look at the world and your place and question whether your actions and their results were ever really in your control. Kudos to Bellow for a solid and memorable work, one that belongs in the American canon.

The Best Novel EVER to come out of 20th Cent. America.......2007-04-04

Forgive me for gushing, but this is a work unequaled among modern American novels. Bellow's novels are invariably thoughtful, playful, funny and profound, and this is his greatest.

No, (as the reviews below attest) its not a novel to dip into between servings of the latest pablum masking as literature. It takes a little work on the reader's part, as do all of Bellow's works, but the pay-off is enormous.

It's instructive that reviewers below who've panned the book haven't read other Bellow before coming to Augie March. Bellow's writing style - long, elegant sentences full of digressions and asides - can be difficult until you find their rythmn, which typically takes 50-100 pages, but once you do the poetry of the book carries you along with little effort. And Augie March is the densest of Bellow's books, so the learning curve can be longer than usual, certainly when you havent read other Bellow.

Stick with the book. like all great literature, it rewards concentrated reading.

Pointless.......2007-03-05

Classic? Why? Slow, plodding and pointless. The style is pretentious and irritating. One doesn't care about any of the numerous characters. The narrator Augie isn't likable, and the so called adventures are nothing but a long string of stories that amount to nothing. Bellow seems to try to use every word he knows and in ways you've never heard in sentences that don't make sense.

Saul Bellow: Novels 1944-1953: Dangling Man, The Victim, and The Adventures of Augie March (Library of America)

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The opening novels of an American Master
Cannot Recommend as a Starting Point for Bellow
"The Victim"
Undisputably worthy of recognition and respect

Saul Bellow: Novels 1944-1953: Dangling Man, The Victim, and The Adventures of Augie March (Library of America)
Saul Bellow
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1931082383
Release Date: 2003-09-11

Book Description

Saul Bellow's rare talent has not only earned critical accolades, including the Nobel Prize, it has also made his books perennial bestsellers. Now, in a historic collector's edition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the classic The Adventures of Augie March, readers will rediscover the novels that laid the foundation for Bellow's towering career.

The comic tour-de-force The Adventures of Augie March (1953) introduced to American literature a startlingly original expressiveness-uninhibited, jazzy, infused with Yiddishisms and Depression-era voices. Ebullient irony bears Bellow's prose aloft. March comes of age in a Chicago bustling with characters as large and vital as the city itself, and his travels abroad lead him through love's byways and the disappointments of vanishing youth. Martin Amis calls it "the Great American Novel" for its "fantastic inclusiveness, its pluralism, its qualmless promiscuity. . . . Everything is in here."

Bellow's sparer first two novels possess a more Flaubertian precision. Dangling Man (1944) penetrates the psychology of a jobless man's anxiousness as he awaits draft orders. The Victim (1947), an increasingly nightmarish story of one man's extraordinary claims on a casual acquaintance, explores our obligations to others and the unfathomable workings of chance. After a half century, Bellow's earliest novels remain as fresh, incisive, and entertaining as ever. Included in this edition are helpful notes and a chronology of the author's life.

Customer Reviews:

The opening novels of an American Master .......2007-03-25

The 'Library of America' has wisely chosen to present the reader with the major works of Bellow.The three works presented in this opening volume are his first novels, and include his breakthrough book. "The Adventures of Augie March". This is the book which put Bellow on the literary map in a big way. Its famous opening," I am an American, Chicago born" was the introduction to a long vital comic romp in which the adventures of character and plot are complemented , or rather invigorated by the play of ideas.
My own preference is not for the works presented here, but rather for the middle aged Bellow of "Seize the Day" and "Herzog".
Yet for anyone interested in tracing the overall development of Bellow these novels are essential.

Cannot Recommend as a Starting Point for Bellow.......2005-12-18

I am a Bellow fan and have read most of his novels.

In case you are new to Bellow, his novels reflect his life, his writings, and his five marriages during his five active decades of writing. He hit his peak as a writer around the time of "Augie March" in 1953 and continued through to the Pulitzer novel "Humbolt's Gift" in 1973. He wrote from the early 1940s through to 2000. His novels are written in a narrative form, and the main character is a Jewish male, usually a writer but not always, and he is living in either in New York or Chicago. Bellow wrote approximately 13 novels plus other works. Bellow progressed a long way as a writer over the five decades. The early novels "Dangling Man" and "The Victim" were written 25 years before his peak. Those were heavy slow reads. "Dangling Man" is often boring, and Bellow was in search of his writing style in that period of the 1940s. Some compare his style in "Dangling Man" with Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground." Having read both I would say that "Notes" is brilliant while "Dangling Man" is at best average and sometimes a bit boring.

That brings us to the present book: "Novels from 1944-1953." I am a Bellow fan, and when I started I bought the present book first. In retospect that was a mistake, because this collection has his two worst novels. "Augie March" is his first big novel, but "Dangling Man" - is among his worst. Even Bellow himself was critical of that novel in later years. I prefer almost any of the later novels such as the masterpiece "Herzog" or "Humbolt's Gift" or "Mr. Sammler's Planet" or his last book and light read "Ravelstein." Some disagree and think that his early works are compact, well written, and his finest works. As a general reader, I thought the 1960s and 1970s works were much better and so did most critics. Bellow thought his best and most difficult to write book was his 1964 masterpiece "Herzog."

This is not the starting point for a Bellow reader.

"The Victim".......2005-10-16

Bellow, Saul, The Victim. 1947. New York: Library of America, 2003.
This novel, Bellow's second to be published, is more of a "head" piece than "Dangling Man" or "Augie March." Asa Leventhal, the thickset, serious-minded copy editor whose wife is seemingly forever out of town, has a weak ego and an even weaker coping mechanism for stress. He is talked into believing that he once injured a now-drunken friend of a friend while at a party, a character named Allbee, who stalks him, accuses him of ruining his life, belligerently invites himself into Leventhal's apartment, and demands all sorts of favors to "clear the slate," all the while slinging anti-Semitic shots from his supposedly superior social position as a descendant of the New England Puritans. Why Leventhal puts up with this is the problem of the novel, and none of his friends can figure him out. A subplot concerning the illness of a young nephew, and some back story, fills out the book. I sympathized with Leventhal but criticize Bellow for never bringing him really to life. What I found more enjoyable were the descriptions and scenes of New York in the 40s, set in a Gatsby-like unending heat wave and bringing back memories of my first trip there in 1949. But that's just something that satisfied me and it isn't enough.

Undisputably worthy of recognition and respect.......2003-10-08

Bellow: Novels 1944-1953 collects three novels by renowned author Saul Bellow: "Dangling Man"; "The Victim"; and "The Adventures Of Augie March". These three literary works distinguished Bellow as a great writer of the postwar era and set the groundwork for his intellectual pursuits. Exploring the human psyche, the brutal vagaries of chance, coming of age in the harsh Depression era, and more, these enduringly popular novels have stood the literary test of time and are undisputably worthy of recognition and respect. Published on non-acid paper specifically necessary for a "shelf life" of many decades, Bellow: Novels 1944-1953 is an essential part of any academic or community library collection.

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THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH
SAUL BELLOW
Manufacturer: The Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000BMKT08

Product Description

A Brilliant saga in the triumphantly picaresque tradition of Tom Jones and Studs Lonigan. This searching story of a boy's relentless pursuit of manhood and self-discovery is..."a Book of extraordinary and massive power plainly one of the richest of the twentieth-century novels."

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The Adventures of Augie March

Manufacturer: Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000I1Q2BC

GradeSaver(tm) ClassicNotes The Adventures of Augie March

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GradeSaver(tm) ClassicNotes The Adventures of Augie March
Laura Moon Kim
Manufacturer: GradeSaver, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1602590648
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Book Description

GradeSaver(TM) ClassicNotes are the ultimate study guides, written by Harvard students for students! Each note includes: * An author biography * An in-depth chapter-by-chapter summary * A short summary * A character list and related descriptions * A list of themes * A glossary * Historical context * Two academic essays * 100 quiz questions to improve test taking skills!

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The Adventures of Augie March
Saul Bellow
Manufacturer: The Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L30HNQ

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The Adventures of Augie March
Saul Bellow
Manufacturer: Fawcett Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000B9GA0E

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The Adventure of Augie March

Manufacturer: Compass Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

This magnificent novel established Saul Bellow in the top rank of living American writers. It won the National Book award for fiction in 1954 and had an almost unprecedented salute from critics in every category, here and abroad.

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THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH
Saul Bellow
Manufacturer: Fawcett Premier Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LBZIPK

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THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH

Manufacturer: THE MODERN LIBRARY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HI0I9S

Book Description

With unrelenting excitement and in spectacular style, counterterrorist operative Alexander Hawke returns in this electrifying New York Times bestseller from Ted Bell, "the new Clive Cussler" (James Patterson).

Aboard a ship in the south of France, an American spy faces certain torture and death for the vital, explosive intelligence he possesses. In Paris, a ruthless and powerful descendant of Napoleon has forged an unholy alliance with China for its growing nuclear arsenal, poised to send America and the world to the brink of a gut-wrenching showdown. Now, in a maelstrom of razor's-edge danger, Alex Hawke must enter the nightmare visions of madmen to defuse an axis of evil no historian could have predicted -- and no living soul would survive.

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"In Ted Bell's scorching follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Assassin, intrepid intelligence operative Alex Hawke must thwart a secret, deadly alliance between China and France before they annihilate everything and everyone in their headlong rush toward world domination. Aboard the Star of Shanghai in the south of France, an American spy is held captive. He possesses vital, explosive intelligence linking two nations and one horrifying plot. If he is not rescued, he faces certain torture and inevitable death. Nearby, in a seaside hotel, a man still haunted by the loss of his wife two years earlier finds comfort in the arms of a beautiful Chinese actress--but is she to be trusted? So begins Pirate, an electrifying thriller marking the return of international counterterrorist Alex Hawke. In Paris, a ruthless descendant of Napoleon has risen to power, hell-bent on restoring France's former glory. His fiery ambitions are cynically stoked by a coterie of cold-blooded Mandarins, plotting behind the gates of Beijing's Forbidden City. Cloaked in secrecy, this unholy alliance devises a twisted global plan, backed by China's growing nuclear arsenal, that will send America and the world to the brink of a gutwrenching showdown. With the aid of his old friend and former Navy SEAL, Stokely Jones, Hawke sets out to investigate the deadly connections that bind the French-Chinese axis. Together, they discover that a powerful German industrialist may hold the key, somewhere inside the walls of his Bavarian mountain lair. Meanwhile, clues to an old and gruesome murder in Paris lead to New York City, where horrifying evidence could finally bring a madman to his knees. In the end, as American and British forces prepare to defend a sovereign and oil-rich Gulf nation against unwilling occupation, the terror is all too real. The world is once more balanced on the knife-edge of a full-blown nuclear confrontation. Hawke must once more prepare to hurl himself deep into the nightmare visions of madmen. He must garner every ounce of strength, courage, and useful pain from his past. He must defeat this enemy or else forfeit the lives of untold thousands, including his own, to an axis of evil no historian could have ever predicted. Packed with unrelenting action, glamour, and high style, and featuring the spectacular Alex Hawke, who time and again transports readers to the edge of danger, Pirate is a spellbinding thriller. Be prepared for Alex Hawke's most daunting and heart-pounding mission yet. Here is an author who gets you in the palm of his hand...and then clenches his fist! "

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-09-11

Ted writes a fine thriller dealing in some of todays most compelling topics. I read all of his books and will continue to. If you like Tom Clancy and the other writers in this genre you'll love Ted's books!

I wanted to like it...........2007-09-02

I really wanted to like this book. Looking for a fun, summer, beach read--I picked this one up. It started off pretty well. Very interesting plot line, a couple of interesting characters...but then it fell flat for me. I ended up dropping it about 3/4 of the way through. Too many cliches, characters that were caricatures and a lack of understanding by the author of the military, CIA, etc. Not terrible, but not that great either.

Nice plot, not so well crafted.......2007-08-11

Sorry to say, but Pirate isn't very good. Bell has come up with a thrilling plot, but the narration is just awful. Maybe I am over critical but I find the narrators voice to be annoying. The narrator 'changes' depending on which character has the lead in which chapter. When following Stokely, a ghetto refugeee cardboard cutout figure, the narrator throws around vulgarities "and sh**t" and generally pitches his "voice" to mimic the inner city. When following Hawke (half English, half American) the narrator is always shaving the differences. "Rather" was used to qualify descriptions three or four times on one page of narrative.
The characters are all cardboard archetypes. Spy- conflicted, brilliant, irresistable, and talented. Cop- virtuous, dogged, refined. Big man- uneducated, wise, gruff, loyal. Villians- evil, evil, evil and evil. Prostitute- hidden heart of gold etc. under pressure from evil, but desiring to be a good guy after all.
The reality is just bizarre. One character can tell if a handgun is loaded by the weight in his palm. Jet Rangers are "big" helicopters. I guess that is small stuff, but it takes away from the 'thrilling' elements.

horrible.......2007-08-08

My God this was horrible. I got half way through and had to stop when it was becoming obvious that the bullets would always narrowly miss our hero, wound his sidekick in the shoulder, and kill the bad guys.
However, I loved the author's description of France:
"A demented version of Italy."

Hawke is at it again.......2007-07-03

I was so excited to read this book after my mother gave it an excellent reivew. However, I did not enjoy it as much as she did. I found the prior Alex Hawke books were far better than this one. It seemed to drag on forever, trying to make it exciting. An ok read, but not recommended

Treasure Trail: Erotic Tales of Pirates on the High Seas

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Juicy Sex Scenes
LOVE this book!!

Treasure Trail: Erotic Tales of Pirates on the High Seas

Manufacturer: Alyson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1593500238

Book Description

Pirates on the open seas with no limits other than the endless horizon . . . sailing on ships, no land in sight for months at a time . . . these wild men have only each other to satisfy their beastly desires. This brand-new, swashbuckling collection of erotic stories will take you back in time to see pirates as you've never imagined them.

"Captain" Jack Hart is an experienced seaman who has ridden wild waves worldwide. This is his first collection of erotic stories from his travels.

Customer Reviews:

Juicy Sex Scenes.......2007-05-21

This sexy story is full of non-stop juicy love scenes that go on for days. You won't be able to put this book down until you've read it all.

LOVE this book!!.......2007-04-29

I am only half way through this book, but I love Jack Hart's books.
Every story is just as sexy as the next. Some have non stop sex that goes on and on, it's hard to put down (pun intended). I so would recommend this book, you will NOT be dissapointed!!

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An unexpected surprise --
A Rollicking Good Time

Polly & the Pirates Volume 1
Ted Naifeh
Manufacturer: Oni Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1932664467

Book Description

Polly is caught between the prim-and-proper boarding school set she's grown-up with and the legendary legacy of the Pirate Queen that she never knew she was a part of! But which is the cruel, cold world and which is the care-free paradise? And does it even matter when there's a dashing pirate prince involved? Hoist the sails and batten the hatches on this brand new adventure!

Customer Reviews:

An unexpected surprise --.......2007-01-09

Polly and the Pirates is a wonderful read - the characters are engaging, the action is smooth, and you end this volume with the sneaking suspicion that all following volumes will be even more captivating.

I appreciated the fact that the female characters weren't cookie-cutter or simple. It is becoming more and more difficult to find positive role models for young girls. I would have no problem giving this book to me niece.

I hope you give it a try and allow the story to sweep you away.

A Rollicking Good Time.......2006-07-28

Polly is a young lady attending a finishing school. She is attentive and well-behaved, unlike some of her class mates. She balks at the idea of sneaking out and having adventures. But that all changes one strange night.

Polly wakes one night to find herself, and her bed, being carried away by pirates. One of them claims she is the daughter of their previous captains, the infamous Pirate Queen. Polly wants nothing to do with this and is afraid of getting in trouble at the school. But that is not to be as she is soon involved with the pirates once again as well as rivals, the Emperor, the navy, and lost treasure maps.

Much of the fun here is in wondering if Polly really is the daughter of the Pirate Queen. The whimsical art style helps add to the fun. This is a rollickingly fun adventure and we can only hope we will see more of Polly and the pirates. Check it out.

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A Lady Pirate
Couldn't put it down
anne

Anne Bonny: Tale of a Lady Pirate
Robert Q. Hoyt
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1412023505
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Book Description

Sentenced to hang for piracy in 1720, Anne Bonny\'s sentence is commuted to life in a British prison. She escapes to a life of adventure. This novel tells her story.

Customer Reviews:

A Lady Pirate.......2007-08-27

A lively, brisk and detailed narrative. Anne Bonny is a little known pirate overshadowed by the "big names". The book is well written with great detail for this period of time. Especially, loved the scintillating sex scenes - satisfying- yet done in good taste. I look forward to more books from Mr. Hoyt.

Couldn't put it down.......2007-08-12

Wonderful plot driven adventure. The kind of story you look forward all day to getting back to. Lively characters, lively lives. Anne is a strong woman, indomitable, an inspiration to down-trodden women.

anne.......2006-12-28

Big dissapointment. This book is purely fiction and was not even researched for facts. Sloppy. And the writer is not able to give real personalities to his characters, they were drab and boring, not something that anne bonny ever was.

Shiver Me Timbers!: 5 Curious Pirate Tales

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Fantastic Stories
Sailing the high seas
Destined to become a classic

Shiver Me Timbers!: 5 Curious Pirate Tales
Jim Chobot , and Jackie Chobot
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0595320368

Book Description

"These swashbuckling pirate tales will captivate both parent and child alike with their clever characters and awesome adventures. A must!"
--Marcia Vaughan, author

"My children loved these stories; they are terrific read-aloud tales. The unique characters, rich descriptions, and clever twists and turns kept them enthralled. And these are pirates we're happy to have our kids emulate--strong women, courageous cabin boys, and captains who love cats."
--Nancy Morgan Barnes, M.Ed., parent and educator

Follow the daring Sally McGee who must masquerade as a boy to sail the high seas. As her journey unfolds, she encounters an infamous pirate captain, and both of their lives are changed forever. In Pirates' Revenge, Sally is forced to face the consequences of her actions and learns that pirating is not all sailing in fair winds.

In Nameless, explore a wrecked ship with the Black Doubloon's Mr. Drat, as he rescues a mysterious young Portuguese girl left for dead. Learn why she must leave her dangerous past behind in order to survive. Sail along with Mr. Drat in The Captain's Cat, and discover why Pieces of Eight is much more than the average pirate pet.

And finally, rejoin Sally as she unlocks the secrets of Sanctuary and discovers the story of Zor and Bella, who, with the help of their pet crow Ebony, fight to free their island from the magical grip of an evil sorcerer.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Stories.......2004-08-14

This is a real page turner about a different sort of pirate, a pirate who shows a kind side as well as their "usual pirate--ish" attitude about plundering. Each story has a few funny parts and a few more dramatic parts.
Anyone 6+ can enjoy this book well.

Sailing the high seas.......2004-07-26

Did you ever dream of sailing the high seas?! Did you enjoy the good clean fun, support and camaraderie of summer camp?! This book combines the best of those things. Many daring, quirky characters. Exotic settings. Wind in your sails. Lots of great themes, like reaching for your dreams, cooperation, loyalty, enterprise, patience, benevolent authority, and even work ethic(shhhh), are woven into enjoyable, inspiring, imaginative tales. I wish Shiver Me Timbers had been around when I was a girl, when there was a dearth of active heroines. But what fun it would be to read it to school aged kids!

Destined to become a classic.......2004-07-14

This book is perfect for families. It has strong female characters without being "girly." It is interesting, action-packed and detailed. The stories are long-enough to sink your teeth into, but broken into small enough segments to lend themselves easily to be read aloud. Best of all, the stories all satisfy without gorging. There is plenty of room left afterwards to question, discuss and imagine. This book invites conversations about emotion, morality and friendship to blossom from its simply elegant pages. Thank you Jim and Jackie for this true pirate treasure.

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Adventures of Captain Jack: Pirate Gold
Capt "Calico" Jack
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1403395268

THE PHANTOM PIRATE: Tales of the Irish Mafia and the Boston Harbor Islands

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THE PHANTOM PIRATE: Tales of the Irish Mafia and the Boston Harbor Islands
DAVID KALES
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1418459976

Book Description

This is a story about a modern day pirate, the most ruthless gangster and feared crime boss to ever come off the streets of Boston. Some readers would no doubt recognize this man, so his name and the other characters in this story have been changed to protect the dead-- and those who could become the dead. For twenty-five years, he ruled the Boston underworld, controlling illegal gambling, loan sharking, and drug dealing in Boston, up and down the East Coast from Maine to Rhode Island. He was the Don of Boston's Irish Mafia. Who is this modern day pirate? What was his secret deal with the FBI? Where is this man now? Only The Phantom Pirate knows

Blackbeard; or, The Pirate of Roanoke (Dodo Press)

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Blackbeard; or, The Pirate of Roanoke (Dodo Press)
B. Barker
Manufacturer: Dodo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1406508403

Book Description

A classic work about the infamous pirate Blackbeard, first published in 1847. Blackbeard was a notorious English pirate who had a short reign of terror in the Caribbean Sea between 1716 and 1718, during a period of time referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy.

Pirates: Swashbuckling Stories from the Seven Seas

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A fantastic collection of pirate stories!

Pirates: Swashbuckling Stories from the Seven Seas

Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1560256168

Book Description

The surprising success of Pirates of the Caribbean, a new screen adaptation of the classic Peter Pan, and the Russell Crowe film Master and Commander have fueled interest in seagoing swashbucklers. There is a rich literature on pirates—both in fiction and nonfiction. This collection offers excerpts from the works of contemporary authors: Patrick O’Brian’s riveting account of a sea battle with Borneo’s pirates will enthrall his fans; Farley Mowat’s The Black Joke is a rousing adventure of the rum-running set in the 1930s and written in the tradition of the great classic pirate tales. Readers will also discover and rediscover the most infamous pirates of yore, from Treasure Island’s Long John Silver to Peter Pan’s Captain Hook. They’ll encounter pirate adventures from neglected classics such as L. Frank Baum’s Pirates in Oz, Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo and Rafael Sabatini’s Captain Blood. And they’ll find accounts of the dastardly deeds of female pirates both real (Anne Bonney and Mary Read) and imagined (Arthur Ransome’s Chinese pirate Miss Lee). Pirates also draws upon colorful true-life accounts and authentic first-person narratives of pirates—and their victims—discovered in nearly forgotten works such as The Pirates Own Book and Captured by Pirates.

Customer Reviews:

A fantastic collection of pirate stories!.......2005-03-01

Pirate-lovers will find a crew of jolly, rapacious, and downright wicked scoundrels in this collection of stories for swashbucklers of all ages. Stevenson, Defoe, Salgari, R.M. Ballantyne, Howard Pyle, Dumas, all the legendary hitters are there. There is a vast sea of swashbuckling pirate adventure literature out there and this is a great way to sample a variety of styles and maybe even discover a few lost classics. If you're a fan of pirate fiction, it just doesn't get any better than this!

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The Nylon Pirates
Nicholas Monsarrat
Manufacturer: House of Stratus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1842321528

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