David Cordingly was for twelve years on the staff of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, where he was curator of paintings and then head of exhibitions. He is a graduate of Oxford and the author of Under the Black Flag, an acclaimed history of piracy. Cordingly lives with his wife and family by the sea in Sussex, England.
“This is a book to inform, stimulate, and amuse—an irresistible
diversion.”
—Baltimore Sun
One of the best books of 2001*
“A valuable addition to nautical literature and a useful
contribution to the study of women’s history....[Cordingly’s] book
leaves no doubt that women have played a far larger role in the
nautical life than is commonly understood.”
—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post*
“Cordingly transcends the ideological limits of gender history and
brings a world to life.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Revisionism at its most delightful. With no particular gospel to
preach, Cordingly works his way through layer after layer of
overlooked and unconnected written records, finding evidence of
women almost everywhere.”
—Houston Chronicle
“Cordingly brings a wide range of research together in one
expansive volume.”
—Boston Herald
Cordingly (Under the Black Flag), former curator of paintings and head of exhibitions for the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, here offers a fascinating survey of the role of women on shore and at sea during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the great age of sail. Recent studies of this period reveal that "a surprising number of women went to sea," some smuggled aboard, some as the wives or mistresses of captains, and some dressed in men's clothing, working undiscovered (often for an entire voyage) alongside their shipmates. Set out in the form of a voyage, the author's historical narrative begins at the seaports; follows the varied stories of women sailors, sailors' women, and men without women at sea; examines the mystic relationship between women and water; moves on to adventures in foreign ports; and returns (with a brief investigation of lighthouses and female lighthouse keepers) to the seaports. Almost as action-packed as the sea yarns of C.S. Forester or Patrick O'Brian, Cordingly's carefully documented account presents a facet of maritime life that might surprise even Horatio Hornblower or Jack Aubrey. Recommended for public and academic libraries.DRobert C. Jones, Central Missouri State Univ., Warrensburg Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
"This is a book to inform, stimulate, and amuse-an irresistible
diversion."
-Baltimore Sun
One of the best books of 2001*
"A valuable addition to nautical literature and a useful
contribution to the study of women's history....[Cordingly's] book
leaves no doubt that women have played a far larger role in the
nautical life than is commonly understood."
-Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post*
"Cordingly transcends the ideological limits of gender history and
brings a world to life."
-The Wall Street Journal
"Revisionism at its most delightful. With no particular gospel to
preach, Cordingly works his way through layer after layer of
overlooked and unconnected written records, finding evidence of
women almost everywhere."
-Houston Chronicle
"Cordingly brings a wide range of research together in one
expansive volume."
-Boston Herald
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