ADMIRAL SIR HENRY MORGAN – THE GREATEST BUCCANEER OF THEM ALL

Glyndŵr Publishing 174 pages paperback illustrated Spring 2005 – (published abridged by Pelican USA as ADMIRAL SIR HENRY MORGAN – KING OF THE BUCCANEERS [120 pages]

Books Council of Wales Book of the Month

A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council:

‘HENRY MORGAN BOOK OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER 2005

An entertaining and well-researched volume which aims to debunk the myth that Henry Morgan was an over-zealous cruel criminal; he is depicted here as a superb military tactician and strategist, who led a dozen successful campaigns against the greatest military power in the world and was rewarded for his leadership in battle with the governorship of Jamaica.

"This comprehensive and authoritative biography of famous Welshman and buccaneer, Sir Henry Morgan, dispels the myth that he was a brutal and sadistic criminal. It shows instead how he became not only a successful naval campaigner but also an Admiral, the governor of Jamaica, and knighted to boot.

The gripping history of this farmer's son charts his progress from birth in South Wales to his arrival in the West Indies and then follows his career as he swashed and buckled his way into the history books.

Terry Breverton has masterfully captured the persona of Sir Henry Morgan using a wealth of in-depth research, which captures every imaginable aspect of life on the sea from piracy and literature to the language of the time.

The text is interspersed with sketches and photos while footnotes aid the reader's understanding. Entries include poems and songs relating to Sir Henry Morgan and there is even a comprehensive inventory of his estate, which gives a fascinating insight into daily life in the late seventeenth century. This totally absorbing book is a must for anyone interested in studying piratical or nautical history.’ Patricia Anne Craig

‘The Henry Morgan of legend and song portrays him as a brutal and sadistic criminal, who indiscriminately pillaged and sacked ships that stood between him and greater glory. The facts are often obscured by a seventeenth-century book on buccaneers that not only served as source material for later biographies, but was also the subject of the first recorded successful libel suit--in 1684, brought by Morgan himself.

Admiral Sir Henry Morgan organized and led a dozen successful campaigns against the greatest military power in the world, Spain, in service to the British Crown. This biography covers Morgan's life as a superb military tactician and strategist, debunking the myth of his overzealous cruelty. For his leadership in battle and as lieutenant governor of Jamaica, Admiral Sir Henry Morgan deserves to take his place alongside Sir Francis Drake and the Duke of Wellington in the panoply of history's greatest heroes.’

‘The swashbuckling biography of the naval officer known as the Sword of England. Welshman Henry Morgan has come to be portrayed as a black-hearted, fierce pirate. This error in terms and in the assessment of Morgan’s character led to the filing of the first libel lawsuit, brought in protest to a book published in 1684 claiming he had been an indentured servant, was a pirate, and was responsible for atrocities. In fact, Morgan was commissioned to aid the British navy in fighting enemies of the throne and was a superb military tactician who led a dozen victorious campaigns against massive odds.’