Author: Charles River Editors
Narrator: Gregory T. Luzitano
Unabridged: 1 hr 48 min
Format: Digital Audiobook
Publisher: Findaway Voices
Published: 11/18/2019
Genre: History - United States - Colonial Period (1600-1775)
When Robert Louis Stevenson published Treasure Island in the late 19th century, it all but created every stereotype now associated with pirates. The book is a coming of age adventure that mixes character studies, action, a vivid setting, and commentary on the ambiguity of morality, as embodied by the memorable Long John Silver. Its influence on the popularity of historical pirates is unmistakable, with its inclusion of treasure maps where X marks the spot, schooners, tropical islands, and one-legged pirates with parrots on their shoulders.
Of course, Stevenson’s work and the public’s fascination with pirates were hardly new phenomena. After all, people had heard tales of hidden booty and gold for centuries, from rumors about Blackbeard and Captain William Kidd to stories about outlaws and criminals burying their booty to come back for it at a later date. It was only fitting that Stevenson’s work came in the same era that people across the world were panning the earth for mineral resources, most notably the California Gold Rush in the late 1840s.
As this all suggests, there’s something about buried treasure that catches someone’s attention like few other things. As soon as there’s the potential for uncovering hidden wealth, otherwise sane and reliable people will abandon their homes and regular lives and become obsessed with tracking down the treasure.
A white seabird with a teal beak dappled with pink and orange colors and a set of apple-red webbed feet hops from one branch to another with all the grace of a toddler learning to take his first steps. Not far from this charming bird, the red-footed...
Deep within the bayous and swamps of Louisiana resides a population descended from an exodus. These people, called Cajuns or Acadians, were expelled from their homelands. Persecuted and homeless, they traveled hundreds of miles south in search of a...
“[W]e observed the Enemy marching down towards us in three Columns, at 10 they formed their Line of Battle, which was at least six deep, having their Flanks covered by a thick Wood on each Side, into which they threw above 3000 Canadians and I...
In February of 1675 Narragansett Indians lay siege to Mary Rowlandson's village. Most were killed. "The bullets flying thick, one went through my side, and the same through the bowels of my dear child in my arms." This marvelous reading of her accou...
“Since man cannot live without miracles, he will provide himself with miracles of his own making. He will believe in witchcraft and sorcery, even though he may otherwise be a heretic, an atheist, and a rebel.” - – Fyodor Dostoyevs...
“Little by little, the bird makes its nest.” – Old Haitian Creole ProverbVibrant, up-tempo vocals and exquisitely soulful harmonies paired with an accordion-heavy and drum-tastic blend of folksy and bluesy instrumentals that one ca...
The island of Hispaniola is the second largest island in the Antilles chain behind Cuba, and host to the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti, however, covering the western third of the island, is a French-speaking territory while the Do...
Few cities epitomize the best and worst of the United States like Detroit, which started as a remote trading post and grew into an industrious town before exploding into a bustling city. That city then fell, leaving a legacy of anger and despair on...
Though the importance of hats is easy to overlook, it was deadly serious in more ways than one, impacting the beavers and birds used to make fashionable hats, the environment of the region, and the people fighting over the resources. Beaver hats put...