Angus Konstam

(born 1960 - ) - Aberdeen

Although born in Aberdeen, historian Angus Konstam was raised in Orkney. He started a naval scholarship in 1978, studying at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, and history at Aberdeen University. In 1983 he left the navy to study underwater archaeology at St Andrews University, combining his interests in both history and diving. Later jobs included Curator at the Tower of London, and a maritime museum in Key West, Florida.

Since 1999 he has been a full-time writer, and moved back to the UK in 2001 to pursue this career. He is the author of over 50 books; initially writing about Peter the Great for Osprey Military History. Preparing an exhibition on pirates for the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Florida laid the foundations for his first major book, Pirates! : Pirates and Piracy of the Americas (1997), and later books on pirating for Osprey. The History of Pirates, first published in New York in 1999, has sold over 65,000 copies, and he is has written over 30 books for Osprey.

In 2003 Angus Konstam settled in Edinburgh. Many of his books are published by American companies, and not all are available in the UK. He is secretary of the Society of Authors in Scotland, and his most recent book is There Was A Soldier. A more extensive biography can be found on Angus Konstam's website.

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Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate - Hardback
Blackbeard was one of the most fearsome pirates of his day. Konstam has produced the definitive biography of Blackbeard, from his pirate apprenticeship in the Caribbean to his gory death in a sea battle fought off North Carolina's Outer Banks.
£9.99
British Battlecruisers, 1939-45 - Paperback
Tracing the pre-war development of these spectacular warships, then describing their wartime exploits, Konstam uses this to demonstrate their operational and mechanical performance. He examines what life was like on these wartime battlecruisers when they sailed into action.
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The Forts Of Celtic Britain - Paperback
In order to defend their lands from outside invaders, the Celts established powerful fortified sites. This work examines these forts, which varied considerably from the mysterious brochs and duns found in northern Britain, to the hill-top forts ranging in size, to the promontory forts that formed powerful coastal strongholds.
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Hunt The Bismarck - Paperback
The breakout of the German battleship Bismarck into the North Atlantic in May 1941 was one of the most dramatic naval episodes of World War II. For nine days it became the most sought after ship in the world. This is a new illustrated account of the episode.
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Piracy: The Complete History - Hardback
Pirate expert Angus Konstam sails through the brutal history of piracy, from the pirates who plagued the ancient Egyptians to the Viking raids and on to the era of privateers. He then discusses the 'Golden Age of Piracy' and colourful characters like Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, before examining the phenomenon of the modern pirate.
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Privateers & Pirates, 1730-1830 - Paperback
This text details the privateer captains of the golden age of 'state-sponsored piracy' - men such as John Paul Jones, Jean Lafitte, and Benito de Soto. It includes episodes such as Bonhomme Richard's epic battle with HMS Serapis.
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Salerno 1943: The Allied Invasion Of Italy - Hardback
This is the story of the tense, bitter struggle around the Salerno beach-head which decided the issue and changed the course of the campaign - for those ten critical days the fate of Italy hung in the balance. Using documentary records, memoirs and eyewitness accounts, Konstam recreates every stage of the battle.
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San Juan 1898 - Paperback
The background to this conflict, covered here, lay in the Cuban insurrection of 1895-1898 and its suppression by Cuba's Spanish overlords. The author, Angus Konstam, has researched extensively into the primary source materials.
£11.99
Scapa Flow: The Defences Of Britain's Great Fleet Anchorage, 1914-45 - Paperback
This text recounts the war history of Scapa Flow, a strategically important natural harbour in the Orkney Islands, which served as Britain's main fleet anchorage during World Wars I and II.
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Sovereigns Of The Sea: The Quest To Build The Perfect Renaissance Battleship - Hardback
Charting the politics, technological innovations & the histories of the ships, this work follows the course of the European battle for maritime supremacy, from the marriage of guns and ships in the mid-15th century to the grandiose national flagships 200 years later that led to the ship of the line.
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There Was A Soldier: First-Hand Accounts Of The Scottish Soldier From 1707 To The Present Day - Hardback
For hundreds of years, the Scottish soldier has been recording his experiences. The result is a wealth of primary information, telling the story of the Scottish soldiers who fought in Europe, America, Africa, India & the Far East. Included in this collection are song lyrics, poems, Highland anecdotes, official reports & interviews.