Ask anyone to name a pirate, and it is almost certain that the person will mention the aptly nicknamed Blackbeard. Edward Teach or Edward Thatch, depending on the source, is, undeniably, one of the most famous pirates in history. Born sometime around 1683, Teach transitioned from a British mariner/privateer to his more infamous role as a maritime brigand at the conclusion of Queen Anne's War in 1714. Following his notorious exploits in the Caribbean and along the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies, an action led by Royal Navy Lt. Robert Maynard ended Teach's life at Ocracoke Island off the coast of North Carolina in 1718. Now, nearly as famous is Blackbeard's ship, Queen Anne's Revenge (ex. Concorde). Although the ship's date and location of construction are unclear, it is certain that Teach grounded the vessel in July 1718. Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing and Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton detail the life of the pirate captain, the loss of his captured ship, and the archaeological investigations of the shipwreck, discovered in 1996 by Intersal, LLC, off the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina. The book is not a formal archaeological report; rather, it is a modest-size volume written for both archaeologists and the public. It is a handsome paperback containing numerous maps, graphs, tables, and interesting sidebars that the authors call “vignettes.” Bursting with color photographs, the book is also interspersed with “piratey” transitions—for example, “Thirsting to learn, are ye? Have patience, lads and lasses, and go slow, for your own sake. Ye must first listen to what historians have discovered … before attempting to gaze upon its archaeological treasures!” (p. 20). Overall, the book is an excellent report of investigations and analyses of artifact finds from the shipwreck undertaken to date by the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology, East Carolina University, and other partners for the Queen Anne's Revenge Project.

The majority of the book is devoted to a thorough description of the recovered artifacts and efforts to conserve them. One especially useful table in this section, comprising almost three entire pages, is a list of all specialists who have contributed analysis and research to the Queen Anne's Revenge Project. A few of these specialists include those to be expected, such as experts in archival research, ceramic analysis, and dendrochronology, but the list includes many others whose diverse backgrounds and expertise reflect the analytical breadth associated with this project. These include experts associated with scour-burial modeling, coal analysis, wood aging, and plutonium tracing, among other areas of interest and expertise. One of the book's vignettes describes the findings of a bell expert and his interpretations about the cultural significance of the sound produced by one of the two bells recovered from the Queen Anne's Revenge. In my opinion, these conclusions drawn from the recovery and innovative acoustic analyses of bells are unique and compelling archaeological findings.

Because the extent of intact hull remains was scant, the number of pages devoted to the hull timbers is also limited. The surviving hull timbers include only a small section of intact frames and hull planks and the lower part of the vessel's stern. The authors suggest that the timber dimensions and associated draft marks are characteristic of a lightly built vessel that would correspond to a French privateer of the eighteenth century, namely, that of the French-built Concorde, the original designation for the ship that later became known as the Queen Anne's Revenge. Discussions of functional groups of artifacts such as anchors (n = 2), cannons (n = 23), navigational tools, handheld weapons, medical tools, galley wares, clothing, and personal items are also included. This section will prove useful to other archaeologists studying shipwrecks and artifact assemblages from this period.

Concluding chapters include a discussion of the fate of Blackbeard and his crew as well as arguments to substantiate the vessel's identification as the Queen Anne's Revenge. They focus their identification of the shipwreck on the dates of manufacture for datable artifacts, cultural affiliations, hull analysis, wreck location and correspondence to historic evidence about the ship's travels, ties to the Concorde’s employment as a slaver, and considerations of evidence about the vessel's actual wrecking event. These arguments are sound. The authors also advocate full recovery of the Queen Anne's Revenge’s remaining artifacts and hull structure, and they discuss benefits of the project's Dive Down and Dive Live programs, both designed for public outreach.

This book would make an excellent text for an undergraduate course and also will serve as a useful reference for professionals. It is not the definitive archaeological report for the Queen Anne's Revenge Project, but the archaeological and historical research and interpretations outlined in the book are excellent. The book clearly reflects the vast amount of effort required to conduct a professional archaeological excavation on a shipwreck of this type and the wealth of knowledge that can be derived with proper and thorough analyses of archaeological finds and the participation of experts in the myriad associated fields relevant to studying and interpreting shipwrecks of this type, from this period, with this historical interest and significance.