This article was published in the February 18, 1935 issue of the Gazzetta di Venezia. In the story Mary Read works to support her grandmother, and the pirates who recruit her are the crew of John Rackam. They are tried with Charles Johnson (?) who dies in 1734 (?).
Category: 1930s
Marie Read et Anne Bonny by Maurice Kéroul
This article was published in the November 27, 1938 issue of Dimanche-illustré. Marie Read's half-brother dies before she is born, when he is 1 year old. Marie is born six months later in 1680. As a boy, Marie goes by Johnny, and she does not know she is a girl until the grandmother dies and… Continue reading Marie Read et Anne Bonny by Maurice Kéroul
Women-at-Arms: Their Famous Exploits Throughout the Ages by Reginald Hargreaves
This hilarious book was published in 1930. Hargreaves writes that Anne Bonny and Mary Read because "The appeal to a woman of quick returns, whether emotional or financial, has rarely been known to fail. If she subsequently discovers that they carry with them the inevitable proviso of small profits, her natural talent for living from… Continue reading Women-at-Arms: Their Famous Exploits Throughout the Ages by Reginald Hargreaves
The History of Piracy by Philip Gosse
This very popular reference was first published in 1932. It repeats a lot of the information (and much of the language, almost exactly) from Gosse's earlier publication, The Pirates' Who's Who. Gosse begins in this book by noting that "Needless to say both Anne Bonney and Mary Read were very fair to look upon." He… Continue reading The History of Piracy by Philip Gosse
Historia universal de la infamia by Jorge Luis Borges
This book is a collection of fictionalized short stories about famous criminals. Borges mentions Mary Read and Anne Bonney to set the scene for his story about Ching Shih. He suggests that Mary eventually became a pirate captain at some point after killing her lover's bully, and Anne is a beautiful redhead with "senos altos".… Continue reading Historia universal de la infamia by Jorge Luis Borges
The Atlantic Buccaneers by Stanley Rogers
Here we have yet another book with chapters devoted to individual famous pirates. There is one for Calico Jack and another for "The Female Pirates". In this version of the story Mary Read and her older brother seem to have the same father. She is already born and is "a small child" when her father… Continue reading The Atlantic Buccaneers by Stanley Rogers
Dragon’s Thunder by Kenneth Payson Kempton
This book is about a boy named Chris Vane who lives in Boston during the War of Jenkins' Ear. John Rackham has been dead for 20 years and Chris has heard stories about him from his father and his father's friend Jem. One day Chris sees two men he thinks are Calico Jack and one… Continue reading Dragon’s Thunder by Kenneth Payson Kempton
The Romance of Lloyd’s: From Coffee-House to Palace by Frank Worsley and Glyn Griffith
This book is about the history (sort of) of Lloyd's of London, the insurance market. A chapter on piracy is justified with the excuse that over the years Lloyd's has "been compelled to pay insurance for the depredations of buccaneers." It might be interesting to hear about those cases, but instead we get the usual… Continue reading The Romance of Lloyd’s: From Coffee-House to Palace by Frank Worsley and Glyn Griffith
Island of the Moon by Isabel Anderson
This script was published in New England Short Stories in 1936, despite being a play set in Madagascar. Ten years earlier, Isabel Anderson wrote the book Under the Black Horse Flag, in which she referred to John Rackam as "Jack Calico"--by which name he appears in this two-act play. It's a fluffy wisp of jarring… Continue reading Island of the Moon by Isabel Anderson
Mary Read: Dragoon & Pirate by James Bridie and Claud Gurney
This is a play performed in London in 1934, produced by Tyrone Guthrie. I don't think it was ever staged again. This run starred Flora Robson as Mary and Robert Donat as her love interest Ned Earle, a composite of the two husbands from Charles Johnson. The story has been massaged into a more theatrical… Continue reading Mary Read: Dragoon & Pirate by James Bridie and Claud Gurney
Depictions of John Rackam, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read 