The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World Of The Corsairs Of The Gulf - Hardcover

Davis, William C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 015100403X ISBN 13: 9780151004034

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005

Synopsis

Jean and Pierre Laffite's lives were intertwined with the most colorful period in New Orleans' history, the era from just after the Louisiana Purchase through the War of 1812. Labeled as corsairs and buccaneers for methods that bordered on piracy, the brothers ran a privateering cooperative that provided contraband goods to a hungry market and made life hell for Spanish merchants on the Gulf. Later they became important members of a syndicate in New Orleans that included lawyers, bankers, merchants, and corrupt U.S. officials. But this allegiance didn't stop them from becoming paid Spanish spies, handing over information about the syndicate's plans and selling out their own associates.

In 1820 the Laffites disappeared into the fog of history from which they had emerged, but not before becoming folk heroes in French Louisiana and making their names synonymous with piracy and intrigue on the Gulf.

About this title

Review:

PRAISE FOR"THE PIRATES LAFFITE"

"This massive, tenaciously researched book . . . should prove the last word on Laffite. Or should I say the Laffites? . . . Davis has restored Pierre to his rightful place in the story and gives us a full account of 'les deux freres.'"--"The Washington Post"

"Separating folklore from fact, Davis debunks hoary myths . . . For those who want to understand how the Laffites' privateering operations worked, Davis's account is the best yet produced."--"The""Times-Picayune"(New Orleans)
PRAISE FOR "THE PIRATES LAFFITE"

"This massive, tenaciously researched book . . . should prove the last word on Laffite. Or should I say the Laffites? . . . Davis has restored Pierre to his rightful place in the story and gives us a full account of 'les deux freres.'"--"The Washington Post"

"Separating folklore from fact, Davis debunks hoary myths . . . For those who want to understand how the Laffites' privateering operations worked, Davis's account is the best yet produced."--"The""Times-Picayune "(New Orleans)
PRAISE FOR "THE PIRATES LAFFITE"
"This massive, tenaciously researched book . . . should prove the last word on Laffite. Or should I say the Laffites? . . . Davis has restored Pierre to his rightful place in the story and gives us a full account of 'les deux freres.'"--"The Washington Post"
"Separating folklore from fact, Davis debunks hoary myths . . . For those who want to understand how the Laffites' privateering operations worked, Davis's account is the best yet produced."--"The" "Times-Picayune "(New Orleans)
PRAISE FOR THE PIRATES LAFFITE

"This massive, tenaciously researched book . . . should prove the last word on Laffite. Or should I say the Laffites? . . . Davis has restored Pierre to his rightful place in the story and gives us a full account of 'les deux freres.'"--The Washington Post

"Separating folklore from fact, Davis debunks hoary myths . . . For those who want to understand how the Laffites' privateering operations worked, Davis's account is the best yet produced."--The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

From the Back Cover:

"[A] swashbuckling look at Jean and Pierre Laffite, brothers and partners in crime." "Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
From just after the Louisiana Purchase through the War of 1812, privateers Jean and Pierre Laffite made life hell for Spanish merchants on the Gulf. Pirates to the U.S. Navy officers who chased them, heroes to theNew Orleanianswho shopped for contraband at their well-publicized auctions, the brothers became important members of a filibustering syndicate. But this allegiance didn t stop the Laffites from becoming paid Spanish spies, disappearing into the fog of history after selling out their own associates.
"Davis fills out this squalid footnote to our past with great skill." "The New York Times Book Review
"
"A solid study of the Gulf rim s most famous buccaneers has long been overdue . . . Davis beautifully reconstructs the elusive, colorful and nefarious lives of the Laffite brothers . . . Marvelous." "Mobile Register
""Davis account is the best yet produced." "New Orleans Times Picayune
"
William C. Davis teaches history at Virginia Tech and is the director of programs at the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies. He lives in Virginia.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 015100403X
• ISBN 13: 9780151004034
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 706