Konstam, Angus. The history of pirates; The history of shipwrecks. .

192p. 1-58574-516-2. The history of shipwrecks. 192p. 1-58574-620-7. Lyons Press. 192p. illus. maps. index. c1999. $19.95 each. JS*

Pirates and shipwrecks--if any topics would be guaranteed to quicken a YA's interest, it would be these. Author Konstare, onetime Arms Curator at the Tower of London and lately Chief Curator at a maritime museum in Key West, has put together a pair of oversized paperbacks, stuffed with photos and drawings.

These two titles are remarkably well done. Readers of the piracy volume learn that it was not always a Caribbean thing; at one time or another, robbery at sea has plagued nearly every part of the world. Nor was it just a colorful 18th-century phenomenon. Konstam covers the entire history of piracy, from the miscreants that Caesar hanged in ancient times down to the pirates that infest corners of the Far East today. The book features two-page biographies of various freebooters, from the most well known, such as Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, down to obscure corsairs in other parts of the world. Feature pages about the various types of ships favored by sea brigands are especially choice, complete with excellent color drawings and plans. Indeed, all of the illustrations are well above par, and include color maps and drawings by notable artists like Howard Pyle.

The shipwrecks volume is equally well done. Again brief sections are used, this time to depict the fates of individual ships or in some cases fleets. Interspersed are biographical sketches of prominent marine archaeologists and their recovery methods, as well as a few professional treasure hunters/plunderers. Besides the excellent illustrations, there are many modern color photographs of ancient wrecks and underwater expeditions.

These attractive and colorful books are targeted at the secondary school level, but they are guaranteed to lure many an adult reader as well. Raymond L. Puffer, PhD, Historian, Edwards AFB, Lancaster, CA