Long John Silver, the enigmatic, treacherous and yet strangely attractive pirate whose exploits have been recounted by Robert Louis Stevenson in Treasure Island lived out his twilight years on Madagascar, rich, one-legged, attended by a handful of devoted slaves whose freedom he had purchased in the West Indies after inciting them to rebellion. That he had a price on his head and the Navy out looking to bring him to justice bothered him less than the threat of posthumous obscurity. So he set down his memoirs. These are they.. "We read of his early years before the mast on board a merchantman, his shipwreck on the Irish coast, his life as a cross-Channel smuggler, and later his passage from West Africa to the Caribbean on a slave ship - John Silver himself a shackled slave in the hold, the price of insubordination. After escaping he took to piracy, first on his own account and eventually as Quartermaster to Captain Flint, a rum-soaked brute who was feared like the Devil himself. And why did a man as determined, brutal and, when the occasion served, devious as Long John Silver choose to go to sea as Quartermaster when he could perfectly well have been Captain? Because what he execrated above all else was established authority - he was always (so he liked to claim) with the crew and against the Captain. In no other way could he preserve his self-respect.. "In Long John Silver Bjorn Larsson has produced a witty, shrewd and well meditated account of a pirate's life that, in this seamless Stevensonian translation by Tom Geddes, will earn its place on the bookshelf of every prospective corsair.

I don't think I have ever finished a book with such compassion for the character. Long John Silver is portrayed as a man who was always true to himself and never falsified his intentions or his character. This book blended perfectly with Treasure Island and added to the magic of the story as well.

I enjoyed this book so much that I am going to place it on my shelf next to my copy of Treasure Island. But before I do, I think it deserves a trip around the globe. One last voyage in tribute to 'Long John Silver, called Barbecue by his friends, if he had any, and by his foes, of which he had many.'


Ring participants (in order):
fanclub - Hawaii (US or Canada)
Gooberguts - Canada (US or Canada)
shaunesay - KS (US)
magicwritinggal - Arkansas (US)
Tzurriz - Florida (US)
weeblet - VA (US)
Kernow8 - Virginia
starbytes - Malaysia (local if possible, if not Asia/Australia)
skutts UK
kymberlie - Texas (US) and near the bottom of the list
caligula03 - CA Near the bottom of the list
arugh48187 - Minnesota (US) - Asked to be moved to the bottom of the list
Andycap14 (me) - CA

This arrived today from Andycap14, and it is my next bookring book to read...thanks for sharing, I can't wait to get this one started!

I finished this book last night...thank you so much for sharing this with me! I love pirate stories of any kind, and this one was no exception...the characters were rich and the language was infectious. I thouroughly enjoyed the read! Mailing this on to Gooberguts tomorrow!

Just recieved this book today in the mail from Fanclub!! Yippee!!!!! I'm going to start reading it tonight at work. Can't wait! Will come back and make another entry when I finished reading the book.

I finished reading the book last night!! What an incredible story. It's not to often you see or should I say read, about someone who is true to themselves . The ending is not what I had expected!! Will be mailing it out to Shaunesay either tomorrow or Tuesday. Hope you enjoy!!!!!!

Mailed book out today!! On it's way to Shaunesay!!!!! Hope that you enjoy.

Just received! I will read and then journal again!

This was a gritty read for me, made me very glad to have not lead a sea-faring life! I got a little confused how he jumped back and forth in time, but was pretty much able to keep up. Silver definitly lived his life on his own terms, a lot of times by bluff and bluster. It really brought to life a character that before now had been more of a side character, always heard about, but never more than mentioned. I have to admit I haven't read the actual book Treasure Island, I only have the parody versions to go from, so I may have to go take a read of it now, since I have a backstory for Long John Silver!

Thanks for sharing this one Andycap14!

Mailing out to magicwritinggal this coming Saturday 1/3/04. Long John Silver sails on into the new year, to a new reader!

Received a couple of weeks ago and have just excavated enough mail from my kitchen table to discover it again. I'll read this promptly and mail it on to the next unsuspecting victim.

Fun little book. Had to go watch Pirates of the Caribbean again. Sorry I've had this so long; had lots of books to read ahead of it. Thanks for sharing!

Plan to send it along to arugh48187 this week, once I get her address.

Fun little book. Had to go watch Pirates of the Caribbean again. Sorry I've had this so long; had lots of books to read ahead of it. Thanks for sharing!

Plan to send it along to arugh48187 this week, once I get her address.

Caught this in the mail today. Can't wait to read it!