Easton Press PIRATE COAST Richard Zacks SEALED

Easton Press

The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, The First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805
By Richard Zacks

Factory Sealed - Shrink Wrapped

The author of The Pirate Hunter,which made Captain Kidd come to life, focuses here more broadly on a piracy hot spot. Resolved to stop the enslavement of American merchant sailors by North African nations, Jefferson deployed most of the infant U.S. Navy to the Mediterranean and sent a column of troops overland from Egypt to place the pasha of Tripoli's brother Hamet on the throne in 1801. The leader of that motley array of mercenaries, Muslim tribesmen, Hamet's retainers and a handful of U.S. Marines was the colorful and combative William Eaton, who led them more than 500 miles across the desert to "the shores of Tripoli." By the time he arrived, peace negotiations were underway, in the hands of one Tobias Deane, who was neither honest nor competent. Eaton had to abandon Hamet and was in turn virtually abandoned by the Jefferson administration, leaving him with a mountain of debt and a drinking problem that eventually killed him at 47. There has been a dearth of good material on the Barbary War and particularly on Eaton's trek; Zacks has researched thoroughly, writes entertainingly and shows a knack for sea stories and characterization. This is the book that Captain Eaton has long deserved.

Easton Press books are bound in genuine premium leather and come with moire fabric endsheets and a permanent satin ribbon page marker.  The spines of these luxurious books are accented in 22-karat gold and are hubbed with traditional raised rings.  Each unique binding is decorated with a deeply inlaid design of 22-karat gold.  The page ends are gilded in 22-karat gold for beauty and protection against dust and humidity.  Easton Press Books are also printed on archival-quality acid-neutral paper that is Smyth-sewn for strength and durability