Republic of Pirates, now in Hungarian

I'm especially pleased to announce the Hungarian language edition of my third book, The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and The Man Who Brought Them Down, as I called Budapest home for nearly five years between 1989 and 1995.

The new edition, Kalózköztársaság, is from Könyvmolyképző Kiadó in that most paprika-worthy of cities, Szeged. At this writing it's even on sale at their website -- just HUF 2764. I gather the official release date is February 24, but it seems to be available now.

Republic of Pirates, the inspiration for the NBC drama "Crossbones", is also available in US, UK, Spanish, Portugeuse, Polish, Danish, and, shortly, Taiwan Chinese editions.

The "Crossbones" Finale

The two-part finale of "Crossbones", the NBC series inspired by my book, The Republic of Pirates, aired last night. For any critics who said there wasn't enough action, their appetites should likely have been quenched.

I watched both episodes live, but for the majority of you North Americans who might have had something else to do on a Saturday night between 8 and 10 pm, they're both currently available free online, along with the rest of the series run, at NBC's website.

As a scholar of the actual pirate gang to which Blackbeard belonged, I enjoyed hearing Sam Bellamy's words inserted in Charlie's speech before a great naval battle last night. And what about those final five seconds or so?

For those of you in the rest of the world, "Crossbones" is on its way to you soon. More details as they're released....

Talking pirates and Blackbeard with New Hampshire Public Radio

The double-header finale of NBC's "Crossbones" airs on Saturday, and in anticipation I was the guest on New Hampshire Public Radio's "Word of Mouth" this afternoon.

My third book, The Republic of Pirates, was the inspiration for the NBC series, which stars John Malkovich as Blackbeard, but our discussion was more broad, asking the question: why has Blackbeard's pirate cohort had such a hold on the popular culture and imagination? Just in the past year, after all, there's been "Black Sails" and Ubisoft's Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag, and news of another Pirates of the Caribbean film en route.

Find the answers by listening to the clip at NHPR's website.

Also, for those of you in easternmost Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, I'll be your CBC radio guest on Tuesday morning, 8:15 Atlantic, talking about my 29-part newspaper series, Unsettled, which just wrapped up at the Portland Press Herald.

Republic of Pirates in Portuguese

With "Crossbones" soon to broadcast in countries around the world, several foreign editions of Republic of Pirates are awaiting release, joining the Spanish, Danish and U.K editions already out there.

I'm pleased to see that the Portuguese-language edition is about to be released by Brazil's Novo Seculo Editora, just in time for all those people who don't want to watch the FIFA World Cup.

Novo Sculo posted this cover on their Facebook page today, describing the book -- so Google Translate tells me -- as their next release.

For those in the U.S., "Crossbones"  takes a break this week. The third episode appears on NBC June 20 in its usual time slot: 10 pm.

Presenting American Nations at Philanthropy Exchange 2014

I'm going to be in Washington, D.C. tomorrow to present the opening plenary talk at this year's Philanthropy Exchange 2014, the annual conference of the Council on Foundations, which represents the nation's grant-giving philanthropies.

I'm especially pleased that American Nations -- the subject of my talk -- is to set the theme for this year's conference: as I understand it, philanthropy working in (and helping perhaps overcome) a fractured nation.

Following my talk, the themes I raise will be taken up by a pretty impressive group: Jim Clifton, CEO, The Gallup Organization; Carly Dawn Hare, Executive Director, Native Americans in Philanthropy; Wendy Ramage Hawkins, Executive Director, Intel Foundation; Carol S. Larson, President and CEO, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Kevin K. Murphy, President, Berks County Community Foundation. [Update: Ford Foundation President and CEO Darren Walker is joining the discussion as well; the Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart will be moderating.] I'm very interested in hearing what they'll have to say.

If you're down at the conference -- it's a big one -- come by and say hello. I'll be signing a few books after the plenary.

Crossbones, Episode 2: In an unrelated matter, I caught the second episode of "Crossbones" last night, the NBC drama inspired by my third book, The Republic of Pirates, and starring John Malkovich as Blackbeard. Pleased to see it got impressive ratings last night, for its time slot, with 90 percent retention in the key viewing demographic against the premier. Take that, naysayers -- and time to give the show a more high-profile time slot.

I especially enjoyed the reveal that at least one of the supporting characters is a veteran of the Jacobite Uprising of 1715, a true to life and long hidden aspect of some of the real historical pirates surrounding Blackbeard that I revealed in Republic of Pirates. (Hat tip to the late Ken Kinkor on some of that.)And the "Athenian democracy" stuff? Yes, there's some truth to that as well, but you'll have to read my book to learn more.

Visiting the "Crossbones" pirate ship... in Maine

By coincidence, the vessel that played the role of Blackbeard's pirate ship in the Friday premier of "Crossbones" -- the NBC series inspired by my book, The Republic of Pirates -- was in Rockland, Maine over the weekend. (That's the one in the picture above.) My son and I went up and had a look.

The vessel is the schooner Amistad, a replica of the two-masted schooner seized by its cargo of slaves in 1839, who eventually won their freedom in a U.S. court (a story dramatized in the 1997 movie of the same name.) The current schooner was built at Mystic Seaport.

Unfortunately for me, the Amistad cycles through crew quickly, and there was nobody aboard who had been with the vessel late last year, when she in Puerto Rico for the filming of "Crossbones." Thus I was denied a chance to ask the important questions: is John Malkovich afraid of the water? How did they go about simulating a naval battle? How long did it take to film the five minutes of shipboard action at the opening of the pilot episode?

Another time perhaps.

Meanwhile, Amistad, Malkovich and "Crossbones" will be back on the small screen this Friday night at 10 Eastern. If you missed the first installment, its available free online. And for those itching to know more about who Blackbeard was before the fantasy events in the show -- which take place a decade or more after the pirate's (supposed?) death -- you'll want to be reading my book.

NBC series inspired by my book premiers tonight

"Crossbones", the NBC drama inspired by my third book, The Republic of Pirates, premiers tonight in the U.S. at 10 pm Eastern.

For my family, it's the culmination of several years of waiting anxiously to see if the project would clear the next (usually taller) hurdle in the long, difficult path from idea to airing. We're thrilled to see the show -- which stars John Malkovich as (and older, madder) Blackbeard -- finally hitting the small screen.

It's actually a "what if" sequel to the historical events revealed in my book. Series creator Neil Cross has imagined what would happen to Blackbeard if he hadn't been the one whose head was brought back from Ocracoke Island in 1718 -- if instead, a decade or more later, he was out there somewhere, ensconced in a new base, presiding over another republic, one that looks very much like a cross between the pirate base at Nassau and the quiet criminal base the pirate set up in North Carolina in the final months of his life.

Readers of the book will see no shortage of borrowings and inspiration from the historical pirate's (earlier) experiences, although Cross (of BBC "Luther" fame) hasn't been very forthcoming about them in interviews. (C'mon, Neil, give us some love here!)

The New York Times weighed in on the show today. Let it be written on stone tablets: "[Crossbones is] sophisticated, well-acted television for a warm-weather series."

Enjoy the show!

Talking pirates with Maine's "207" on WCSH-6 and WLBZ-2

The NBC series based on my book, The Republic of Pirates, premiers tomorrow night, and the network's local affiliates here in Maine were kind enough to have me on air tonight to talk about the book, the series, and the relationship between the two.

The show, "207", appears on both WCSH-6 in Portland and its sister station, WLBZ-2, in Bangor. Thanks to Rob Caldwell and his team for having me on.

The series -- "Crossbones" starring John Malkovich as Blackbeard -- has been receiving a bunch of preview attention this week, including these reviews from the San Antonio Express-News, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Kansas City Star and the Orange County Register, plus these features in  TV Guide, the Portland Press Herald and Los Angeles Times. The general consensus, as the Chronicle put it, is that it's fun.

Tune in at 10pm Eastern tomorrow night, May 30, and let me know what you think.

Crossbones cometh Friday

"Crossbones", the NBC drama inspired by my non-fiction work, The Republic of Pirates, premiers this Friday, May 30th, and the media is starting to take note.

The Portland Press Herald had a front page story on me and the show today, with exclusive interviews with creator Neil Cross (who some among you will know as the creator of BBC's "Luther") and, of course, myself. We reveal that the show is in fact a "what if" sequel to the historical events told in the book, imagining what Blackbeard might have become if he had secretly not been the person killed and beheaded at Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, in 1718. But read to learn more.

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times (and its sister paper, the Chicago Tribune) carried this preview feature, which devotes some attention to the relationship between the book, the show, and the show's creator. Therein Cross likens my book to "brown rice", which I've decided is a good thing, coming from someone who doesn't write non-fiction. (Such fare is nutritive, real, good with butter.)

"It's a show which undeniably has pirates in it, and it's set during the time of the golden age of piracy," Cross told the L.A. Times. But "it's got elements of speculative fiction in there, little hints of steampunk and it's kind of a spy show, really, more than a big, swashbuckling pirate show."

Also over the weekend, Excelsior and its sister dailies across Mexico carried this feature on the show, though it appears to quote an old NBC press release as being my words. But nice exposure nonetheless, seeing as the book is available in Mexico, in Spanish.

NBC Releases "Crossbones" Trailer

Crossbones, the NBC drama inspired by my third book, The Republic of Pirates, premiers May 30th and the network has just released a trailer for the first episode.

As you can see, Crossbones starts John Malkovich as Blackbeard. It's written by Neil Cross, best known as the creator of the dark BBC crime drama Luther.

The network has also released a series of character portraits found here.

NBC series based on Republic of Pirates to premier May 30

"Crossbones", the NBC drama based on my third book, The Republic of Pirates, finally has its air date.

The series, written by Neil Cross (of BBC's "Luther" fame) and starring John Malkovich as Blackbeard, will premier Friday, May 30, at 10 pm, the network revealed this week.

The book, a history of the Golden Age Pirates, was recently released in the U.K., Australia, and the rest of the commonwealth, and translations are forthcoming in Hungary, Poland, Taiwan, and Brazil. It's also available in Spanish and Danish and, of course, in North America.

UK edition of Republic of Pirates on sale tomorrow

I'm pleased to announce that the United Kingdom and Commonwealth edition of my third book, The Republic of Pirates: Being The True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down, goes on sale tomorrow.

The new edition -- which includes an exclusive Afterword with some new material -- is published by Pan Macmillan and is also available in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and such pirate haunts as the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Barbados. (The US and Canada edition, first published in 2007, is from Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt.)

Republic of Pirates is the inspiration for Neil "Luther" Cross's new NBC series, Crossbones, starring John Malkovich. It also helped inspire the new Ubisoft video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and, based on the previews, probably shaped the thinking of the maker's of Starz' forthcoming series "Black Sails" as well.

For those new to the book, here's an interview I did with National Public Radio's Weekend Edition a few years back, plus a fun VICE Media mini documentary series filmed last summer ahead of AC4's release.

So check out the book -- and the incredible historical events -- that inspired this latest wave of pirate pop culture. You won't be disappointed!

My life as a pirate guru

With both NBC's forthcoming drama "Crossbones" and videogame publisher Ubisoft's soon-to-be-released Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag being set among the Golden Age Pirates, I've found myself in demand as a pirate expert of late, which has been a nice counter-point to investigative reporting, working on the next book, and writing about American political geography.

Before traveling to Italian castles and the decks of Spanish galleons to speak with the European press about the real world of the early 18th century pirates, a film crew from VICE Media came up here to Maine to talk to me about Charles Vane, Blackbeard, and Calico Jack Rackham. After traveling on to Nassau (with fellow pirate expert Mike Daniel) and Kingston, they've released the first part of their three part pirate documentary Rum, Guns & Gallows online. I'm the project's "pirate guru", which I plan to add to my business card.

Parts II and III will post soon. Have a look -- it's a fun introduction to AC4, and has even gotten some press in and of itself. [Update, 10/20/13: Here's Part II, on Blackbeard.] [Update, 10/25/13: And Part III on Calico Jack Rackham.]

Meanwhile, down in Puerto Rico, filming has reportedly gotten underway on "Crossbones." John Malkovich, who plays Blackbeard in the series, spoke briefly with reporters there. The series -- which airs this winter on NBC and is written by Neil Cross of BBC "Luther" fame -- is based on my book, The Republic of Pirates. (A UK edition of the book will be out in January from PanMacmillan.) I'm a consultant on this project too, but everything's hush-hush.

There are more interviews on the pirates in the pipeline, for the minority of you who haven't yet had enough. [Update, 10/25/13: Links to more from here.]

On pirates in Connecticut, Britain, and video games

The golden age pirates, the subject of my third book, The Republic of Pirates, are returning to the zeitgeist with gusto. Yes, there's the NBC series based on the book coming in February, with Neil Cross writing the script and John Malkovich playing Blackbeard, but that's not all. Consider:

There's a worldwide publicity drive afoot for the new Assassin's Creed video game release, Black Flag, which is also set among the Golden Age Pirates. This week, The Telegraph of India interviewed the game's chef scriptwriter, Darby McDevitt, who kindly plugged Republic of Pirates: "Colin’s book provided us with the answer to one crucial question we had –– how do we get all of the most famous pirates in history together in the same story? It turns out that The Republic of Pirates was the answer." (For more on the golden age pirates, enjoy my recent Game Informer interview.)

Meanwhile, UK's PanMacMillan has revealed the forthcoming publication of the UK and Commonwealth edition of Republic of Pirates. The release date is set for January 2014, just ahead of NBC's "Crossbones." As is often the case in Britain, it's going straight to paperback, retailing for just £8.99, or about the annual wages of an ordinary sailor in 1715. (Thank you, inflation.)

Examiner.com, an online sweatshop for freelance writers, today named "Crossbones" one of the "top five promising premises for the fall tv season", which is even more impressive given that it's a mid-season replacement, so not out in the fall at all. "Old ‘Blackbeard’ is played by the incomparable John Malkovich," the writer notes. "‘Nuff said." I'd actually add a bit about writer Neil Cross being the creator of BBC's crime drama "Luther" too, but point taken.

Finally -- and unrelated to any of the above -- The Hartford Courant ran this piece on pirates in Connecticut and approaches, drawing heavily from an interview I did with them earlier this year.

Show based on Republic of Pirates airing this winter

NBC has announced that "Crossbones" --the drama based on my work of non-fiction, The Republic of Pirates -- is airing this winter.

The network released its 2013/2014 schedule overnight, with "Crossbones" being released as a mid-season replacement. Since NBC has rights to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the show will probably air after the games close Feb. 24. The network has released remarks suggesting it plans to promote the mid-season debuts during the Olympics. “The overriding strategy this year was to develop enough strong comedies and dramas to take advantage of the promotional heft of the Winter Olympics and devise two schedules for the upcoming season: one for fall and a slightly different one for midseason," NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a prepared statement.

"Crossbones" stars John Malkovich as Blackbeard. It's written by Neil Cross, of BBC "Luther" fame.

[Update, 3/28/14: The series is now premiering May 30, 2014 at 10 pm.]

Talking pirates with Game Informer

I recently spoke with Game Informer -- the third largest circulation magazine in the United States and, to my thinking, the best video game publication by a long shot -- about the golden age pirates, the subject of both my third book, The Republic of Pirates, and the upcoming installment of the Assassin's Creed series.

The extensive interview is up online and, at this writing, had already racked up nearly 30,000 views.  Hopefully some of those gamers will be lured into reading the true story of the Caribbean pirates; after all, they've still got more than six months to wait for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag to surface. It's entirely possible: the AC series has always prided itself on being historically consistent, so the series' fan base probably includes a decent subset of the history minded.

For those wanting to know more about the pirates -- but not yet ready to commit to the book -- I suggest my interview with NPR's "All Things Considered" from back when the book came out. And did I mention the book is the basis of the forthcoming NBC drama "Crossbones" starring John Malkovich?

John Malkovich to play lead in NBC drama based on Republic of Pirates

Hollywood Reporter broke the news today that John Malkovich will be playing Blackbeard in "Crossbones," the forthcoming NBC drama based on my third book, The Republic of Pirates. It's Malkovich's first television role, mine too for that matter, if being the "based on the book" guy counts as a role.

"Crossbones" is written by Neil Cross, best known for the BBC crime drama "Luther", and produced by Parkes/MacDonald (The Kite Runner, Gladiator, Men In Black) and Ted Gold ("Three Rivers"). Georgeville Television, Reliance Entertainment/Motion Picture Capital and Universal Television are making it happen. NBC made a 10-episode straight to series order last May.

Hollywood Reporter says that Hugh Laurie -- who was reportedly in negotiations for the lead role -- ultimately bowed out. Variety reports production will begin in June.

The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down revealed the true story of the most famous pirate gang of all time and the revolutionary-minded rogue state they founded in the Bahamas. It was painstakingly -- often painfully -- reconstructed from archival sources, including previously neglected documents from the British National Archives and other collections. It's already available as an audio book and in Spanish and Danish translations, though more foreign editions are now in the works as well.

It's nice to see all the buzz this news has generated this afternoon, from Reuters and the New York Daily News to the newspaper I work for here in Maine and even our rival, the Bangor Daily News. 

"This is basically Deadwood only with pirates," adds The Atlantic Wire. "They should have called it Deadwood: Pirates Edition and Malkovich could play Cap'n Al Swearrrrrengen. People would watch that."

Jane Smiley on American Nations, Hugh Laurie and Republic of Pirates

From the Department of Shameless Self-Promotion's Book Publishing Unit:

Jane Smiley's Favorite Book: Today, the Sacramento Bee asked some bestselling authors for their 2012 holiday book recommendations. Jane Smiley -- author of 22 books -- chose American Nations.  "It's my favorite book of the year," she wrote. Thank you!


Hugh Laurie meets Republic of Pirates: Media outlets around the world reported recently that Hugh Laurie of House is in negotiations to play Blackbeard in NBC's forthcoming drama Crossbones, which is based on my third book, The Republic of Pirates. The original story appears to have been carried by Hollywood Reporter, but it's lead to stories everywhere from Entertainment Weekly to London's Guardian to this website.

A Maine Sunday Telegram trifecta: This past week's Maine Sunday Telegram Bestseller List for Paperback Non-Fiction simultaneously included American Nations (#1), Lobster Coast (#3) and Republic of Pirates (#6). Thank you, Southern Maine readers, for your continued interest and support.

Things to watch and read, Oct. 25 edition

A few items that may be of interest to readers of this blog:

Case against McKernan-led firm moving forward: As I reported in the Portland Press Herald today, one of the two whistleblower suits against for-profit university company Education Management Corp., looks to be going forward. A magistrate judge has recommended four of six counts against EDMC go forward. Former Maine Gov. John McKernan was CEO when at least some of the alleged counts took place, and is currently EDMC's chairman of the board. He is married to U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, who announced in February that she is not seeking reelection.

Regional origins of violence: I've argued in my latest book, American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, that understanding our cultural geography is essential to understanding just about anything in U.S. (and Canadian) politics. Today Harvard University psychology professor Steven Pinker takes a similar approach to understanding regional differences in violence and other things over at the New York Times's Opinionator blog.

Is the Tea Party done for?: A year ago, I used the American Nations paradigm to show why the Tea Party movement is doomed to never become a dominant force in national politics in the Washington Monthly. Today, the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne argues the conservative ideas central to the movement are on the wane on the national stage. (Central evidence: Mitt Romney's sudden, necessary lurch to moderation.)

Republic of Pirates, the TV series: As many of you know, NBC announced in May that it was ordering a prime-time television series based on my third book, The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Neil Cross (of BBC Luther fame) is writing the show, which is now titled "Crossbones." For entertainment news hounds, this recent news item on the show has been circulating around the web.

The (Pirate's) Revolution Will Be Televised

Regular readers may recall that my third book, The Republic of Pirates, has been in development as a potential NBC television drama, produced by Parkes / MacDonald (Gladiator, Men In Black).

On Monday, NBC announced it is adding the drama -- now titled Crossbones -- to next year's schedule. Deadline reported the straight-to-series order will be written by Neil Cross of BBC's Luther fame, with an initial run of ten episodes.

NBC has posted a description of the show at their website, along with some preliminary art. (Tagline: "The True Legend of Blackbeard").

As fans of the book know, Republic of Pirates tells the true story of the greatest pirate gang of all time, the golden age pirates who operated out of the Bahamas between 1715 and 1720 and are responsible for nine-tenths of all of our pirate pop culture imagery. The gang -- which included Blackbeard, Sam Bellamy, Charles Vane, Calico Jack Rackham, Mary Read, Anne Bonny, and the "gentleman pirate" Stede Bonnet -- founded a rogue state based at Nassau and, for a time, severed the commerce of three empires and threatened their colonies with dislocation, invasion, and rebellion.

For those wanting to learn more about these pirates, the book is available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, Nook, audiobook, Spanish and Danish editions. Links to all can be found at this page on the Republic of Pirates website.