Born to Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune

by Keith Thomson

Overview

Discover the “fascinating and outrageously readable” account of the roguish acts of the first pirates to raid the Pacific in a crusade that ended in a sensational trial back in England—perfect for readers of Nathaniel Philbrick and David McCullough (Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God)

The year is 1680, in the heart of the Golden Age of Piracy, and more than three hundred daring, hardened pirates—a potent mix of low-life scallywags and a rare breed of gentlemen buccaneers—gather on a remote Caribbean island. The plan: to wreak havoc on the Pacific coastline, raiding cities, mines, and merchant ships. The booty: the bright gleam of Spanish gold and the chance to become legends. So begins one of the greatest piratical adventures of the era—a story not given its full due until now.

Inspired by the intrepid forays of pirate turned Jamaican governor Captain Henry Morgan—yes, that Captain Morgan—the company crosses Panama on foot, slashing its way through the Darien Isthmus, one of the thickest jungles on the planet, and liberating a native princess along the way. After reaching the South Sea, the buccaneers, primarily Englishmen, plunder the Spanish Main in a series of historic assaults, often prevailing against staggering odds and superior firepower. A collective shudder racks the western coastline of South America as the English pirates, waging a kind of proxy war against the Spaniards, gleefully undertake a brief reign over Pacific waters, marauding up and down the continent.

With novelistic prose and a rip-roaring sense of adventure, Keith Thomson guides us through the pirates’ legendary two-year odyssey. We witness the buccaneers evading Indigenous tribes, Spanish conquistadors, and sometimes even their own English countrymen, all with the ever-present threat of the gallows for anyone captured. By fusing contemporaneous accounts with intensive research and previously unknown primary sources, Born to Be Hanged offers a rollicking account of one of the most astonishing pirate expeditions of all time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316703635
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	05/16/2023
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	41,437
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Keith Thomson is the author of several novels, including Pirates of Pensacola and the New York Times bestseller Once a Spy. The former Columbia history major also writes nonfiction for the New York Times, Garden & Gun, and the Huffington Post on a range of topics, including national security and piracy. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

Table of Contents

Part I The Sacred Hunger of Cold

1 The Princess 3

2 The Golden Swordsman 12

3 The Gap 17

4 Golden-Cap 27

5 The Forlorn 36

6 The Second-Largest City in the Western Hemisphere 45

7 A Natural Pirate 53

8 An Easy Canoe Ride 62

9 Castaways 69

10 Surprizal 80

11 The Dragon 89

12 The Extreamest Hazard of Fire and Sword 94

13 Blood Ran Down the Decks in Whole Streams 105

14 Mutiny 113

Part II The South Seas

15 The Muzzles of Our Guns 121

16 Swallowed by the Sea 129

17 As Valiant and Courageous as Any Could Be 137

18 Snake-Haired Sisters 146

19 The Merry Blades 159

20 Water, Water 169

21 Ransom 180

22 Eighty-Five Stout Fellows 186

23 Rohinson Crusoe 197

24 The Very illustrious and Royal City of Saint Mark of Arica 208

25 The Itch 224

Part III Straits

26 Expect to Be Shot to Death 231

27 The Pyre 242

28 Bloodletting 251

29 A Warm Deck 263

30 The Horn 268

31 Landfall 278

32 The Silver Oar 288

33 The Sequel 302

Acknowledgments 313

A Note on Sources 315

Bibliography 317

Notes 327

Illustration Credits 357

Index 361

Editorial Reviews

Thomson does a fine job mining the historical record for all this swash and buckle… it reads, quite literally, like a pirate novel.”—Tina Jordan, New York Times Book Review

“Unleashes an epic history of a band of ‘gentlemen pirates.’”—Ron Charles, Washington Post

“It’s hard to believe that serious maritime history could be quite so fascinating and outrageously readable. Born to Be Hanged is one of those books you simply can’t put down, a true history of a band of buccaneers who embark on a two-year rampage along the Pacific coasts of Central and South America, undertaking a series of daring, insane, and bloody raids that are at times so improbable as to defy belief. This is a truly marvelous read and I highly recommend it.”—Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God

“This swashbuckling history recounts a two-yearlong pirate raid in the 17th century along the Pacific coastline, with over 300 dastardly buccaneers in search of Spanish gold.”—Barbara VanDenburgh, USA Today

“Thomson is an engaging and enthusiastic writer.”—The Economist

“A rollicking historical account… Every action-packed page is certain to thrill connoisseurs of piracy and seafaring history… Thomson fleshes out each audacious attack and narrow escape with wit and insight… By focusing on the individuals who kept accounts of the adventure, Thomson humanizes the ‘Brethren of the Coast,’ shedding light on their motivations, histories, and relationships.”—Sara Shreve, Library Journal (starred review)

“A brisk and entertaining adventure story… Thomson unravels the complex relationship between piracy and colonial governments in the Americas, where England and Spain struggled for primacy, and describes local tribes and flora and fauna in meticulous detail.”—Publishers Weekly

“Thomson eloquently proves Mark Twain’s oft-cited adage, ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’ Thanks to lively writing and thorough research, Thomson’s pirates burst from the pages as vividly and compellingly as those in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series... The entertaining suspense and high energy continue to the very end.”—John Rowen, Booklist

“What a rollicking ride! Born to Be Hanged is serious narrative history delivered as gripping entertainment, with all the panache of an adventure novel. Keith Thomson unspools the excesses and escapades of the high seas in what we come to see is truly the Golden Age of Piracy. From the signing of the buccaneers’ initial charter to their life-or-death trial back in England two years later, I followed every battle, chase, and standoff with rapt attention. Thomson not only brings the seventeenth century to life in vivid detail; he weaves his humor and keen observations into the character studies of the pirates themselves. This book is a riveting historical delight not to be missed.”

—Keith O’Brien, author of the New York Times bestseller Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History

“Born to Be Hanged is swashbuckling narrative nonfiction at its best. Thomson skillfully weaves in the history and geopolitics of the period even as he puts the reader in the middle of an action-packed thriller that does not let up. By the end of this myth-busting, stranger-than-fiction tale, I wanted to raise a tankard of rum and toast the death-defying adventures of the greatest buccaneers of the seventeenth-century.”—James L. Swanson, author of the New York Times bestseller Manhunt: The Twelve-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer

“Born to Be Hanged is a thrilling tale of piracy in the South Seas, replete with pitched and bloody battles, treasure hoards, a daring rescue, violent storms, shifting allegiances, mutiny, and a dubious trial. It is full of so many fascinating details and surprising twists and turns that you will not want to put it down until the very end. A wonderful contribution to the history of piracy, and a welcome addition to every pirate lover's library.”—Eric Jay Dolin, bestselling author of Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America’s Most Notorious Pirates

“Born to Be Hanged tells the dazzling true story of one of the brashest, riskiest, and all-out swashbucklingest pirating adventures ever attempted—a mission that takes an outmanned band of English buccaneers across one deadly jungle, over two oceans, through the heart of the Spanish Main, and into endless trouble. Along the way, they come upon plenty of treasure—and readers will, too.”—Miles Harvey, author of The King of Confidence

From the Publisher

02/28/2022

Novelist Thompson (7 Grams of Lead) makes his nonfiction debut with this swashbuckling account of a 17th-century pirate raid on the Pacific coastline of Spanish South America. Drawing on contemporaneous diaries kept by several of the privateers, Thomson recounts how a group of 366 “Caribbean-based pirates” helped an Indigenous tribe rescue a chief’s daughter who was being held captive by the Spanish on the Isthmus of Panama. After completing the mission, the group made a daring attack on Spanish ships guarding Panama City and raided settlements along the western coast of South America on their way to the Chilean town of Arica, where they hoped to find fabulous wealth. Though the fleet captured several galleons and enough plunder to make them rich, they were repelled at Arica and, after rounding Cape Horn and returning to the Caribbean, three of the pirates, including Capt. Bartholomew Sharp, were captured, brought to trial in England, and acquitted. Thomson unravels the complex relationship between piracy and colonial governments in the Americas, where England and Spain struggled for primacy, and describes local tribes and flora and fauna in meticulous detail. Readers will be swept along by this brisk and entertaining adventure story. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 09/01/2022

Thriller writer Thomson (Seven Grams of Lead) turns to nonfiction in this fun and entertaining listen featuring Feodor Chin's excellent narration. Chin has an amazingly clear and theatrical voice, which makes these historical figures' adventures seem even more wild and hilarious. The book has nonstop action from start to finish, like a summer blockbuster; even the bits of historical context are kept concise, while still being informative. One can definitely see how these buccaneers embodied the spirit of the "golden age of piracy," embracing the freedom that a life of pirating offered. They were adventurous, quick-thinking, adaptable, and rarely hesitant to seize opportunities—often quite literally. Some of the facts and details about these men's lives may not come as a surprise to readers who are familiar with pirate history, but this telling offers a new twist. VERDICT Highly recommended for any maritime and history collections.—Ammi Bui

Library Journal - Audio

★ 04/01/2022

Novelist Thomson (Once a Spy) follows a motley crew of English pirates on a voyage of plunder along the Pacific coast of South America in this rollicking historical account drawing on the contemporary journals of seven participants. Accepting a legally dubious "commission" from the chief of a local tribe, the 366 buccaneers—including naturalist William Dampier—trekked through the mountainous jungles of the Isthmus of Panama to rescue the chief's captured granddaughter and raid the riches of Panama City. Spared the treacherous passage through the Straits of Magellan, the pirates proceeded to wreak havoc on Spanish ships and settlements throughout what were then known as the "South Seas," scoring one improbable victory after another until stunned Spanish authorities finally fought back. Thomson fleshes out each audacious attack and narrow escape with wit and insight, delving into seafaring terminology and the customs of piracy as he relates the buccaneers' brushes with mutinies, storms, and deadly flora and fauna. By focusing on the individuals who kept accounts of the adventure, Thomson humanizes the "Brethren of the Coast," shedding light on their motivations, histories, and relationships. VERDICT Every action-packed page is certain to thrill connoisseurs of piracy and seafaring history.—Sara Shreve

Library Journal

Narrator Feodor Chin’s fluent and highly listenable voice has made him a popular choice for fantasy fiction and esoteric scientific audiobooks, and for ensemble work. His performance style is highly adaptable, bringing clarity, balance, and a level of plausibility to the most fantastic and speculative of narratives. Here he shows his range, tracking a party of 1680s British pirates who are preying on Spanish treasure in western Panama and the South Seas. Thomson’s subtitle, evoking “gentlemen pirates” and exotic places, glamorizes his storyline, but Chin’s steady and unflinching narration gives full value to the less romantic aspects of the pirate’s life, including scurvy (its symptoms described in detail), long stretches of idleness aboard ship or marooned on strange shores, and, of course, the constant prospect of the hangman’s noose. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

MAY 2022 - AudioFile

Narrator Feodor Chin’s fluent and highly listenable voice has made him a popular choice for fantasy fiction and esoteric scientific audiobooks, and for ensemble work. His performance style is highly adaptable, bringing clarity, balance, and a level of plausibility to the most fantastic and speculative of narratives. Here he shows his range, tracking a party of 1680s British pirates who are preying on Spanish treasure in western Panama and the South Seas. Thomson’s subtitle, evoking “gentlemen pirates” and exotic places, glamorizes his storyline, but Chin’s steady and unflinching narration gives full value to the less romantic aspects of the pirate’s life, including scurvy (its symptoms described in detail), long stretches of idleness aboard ship or marooned on strange shores, and, of course, the constant prospect of the hangman’s noose. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

MAY 2022 - AudioFile