YvonneTo an illustrated talk, by English Historian, Educationalist and Writer, Adrian Tinniswood, who will be discussing his book, ‘Pirates Of Barbary’
Synopsis:
Pirates of Barbary is an extraordinary record of the European renegades and Islamic sea-rovers who terrorised the Mediterranean and beyond throughout the seventeenth century. From the coast of Southern Europe to Morocco and the Ottoman states of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Christian and Muslim seafarers met in bustling ports to swap religions, to battle and to trade goods and slaves – raiding as far as Iceland and New England in search of their human currency. Studying the origins of these men, their culture and practices – from pirate etiquette to intimidation tactics – Adrian Tinniswood expertly recreates the twilight world of the corsairs in fascinating detail, and uncovers a truly remarkable clash of civilisations.
Pirates of Barbary draws on an incredible wealth of material, from furious royal proclamations to the private letters of pirates and their victims, as well as recent Islamic accounts to provide a new perspective on the corsairs, both as criminals and as devout warriors engaged in a battle against European incursions. The result is a kaleidoscopic image of a wild and exotic people, place and time, and a fascinating insight into what it meant to sacrifice all you have for a life so violent, so uncertain, and so alien that it set you apart from the rest of mankind.
About The Author:
Adrian Tinniswood, is a native of Derby, who has now made his home, with his partner, just outside my home City of Bath, hence my interest in finding out more about him.
He followed a degree in English and Philosophy at Southampton University, earning a MPhil from Leicester University.
He has been a consultant to the National Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund, on heritage education and also has a full lecturing and broadcasting schedule, both in the UK and US.
He is also the highly respected author of several books about architectural and social history.
This event takes place on Tuesday 16th November 2010, time 7:30pm, venue Frome Library, Somerset.
There is a modest admission fee for this event, of £2.50 in advance, or £3.50 on the door on the night.
For all you avid history buffs out there, this will be a great evening’s entertainment, hosted by a man who is a master of his art.
I’d love to be there – but it’s too far.
I’ve read one of Andrew Tinniswood’s books – The Verneys. It’s about the Verney family who lived at Claydon House in Buckinghamshire – near where I used to live. It’s an absolutely fascinating book, full of facts, anecdotes and well researched using the family’s archives. I wrote about it on my blog – http://www.booksplease.org/2007/10/25/the-verneys-of-claydon/ if you’re interested.
Hi Margaret,
Took a look at the link, what a great review. It’s good to find someone else who shares my good opinion about his work and the undoubted value it adds to the existing knowledge of our social history.
I did check out most of Adrian’s books last night, before writing the post, including the book that the talk is to be about, and found them all really interesting.
He writes with such authority about his subject, that you immediately think that he will be able to hold an audience’s interest, with ease.
I do try to find out about any authors that are local to me and promote them if at all possible, but it wasn’t until I started my ‘pet project’ that I realised just how many there were. Some already well known to a wider audience and those who are trying to breakthrough in the profession.