In this lively and engaging new biography, Harry Kelsey shatters the familiar image of Sir Francis Drake. The Drake of legend was a pious, brave, and just seaman who initiated the move to make England a great naval power and whose acts of piracy against his country’s enemies earned him a knighthood for patriotism. Kelsey paints a different and far more interesting picture of Drake as an amoral privateer at least as interested in lining his pockets with Spanish booty as in forwarding the political goals of his country, a man who became a captain general of the English navy, but never waged traditional warfare with any success. Drawing on much new evidence, Kelsey describes Drake’s early life as the son of a poor family in sixteenth-century England. He explains how Drake dabbled in piracy, gained modest success as a merchant, and then took advantage of the hostility between Spain and England to embark on a series of daring pirate raids on undefended Spanish ships and ports, preempting Spanish demands for punishment by sharing much of his booty with the Queen and her councillors. Elizabeth I liked Drake because he was a charming rogue, and she made him an integral part of her war plans against Spain and its armada, but she quickly learned not to trust him with an important command: he was unable to handle a large fleet, was suspicious almost to the point of paranoia, and had no understanding of personal loyalty. For Drake, the mark of success was to amass great wealth, preferably by taking it from someone else and the primary purpose of warfare was to afford him the opportunity to accomplish this.

Sir Francis Drake: The Queen`s Pirate

Biographies & Memoirs

Harry Kelsey

Historical

Yale University Press

Although his cousin Sir Francis Drake is more famous, Sir John Hawkins (1532–1595) was a more successful seaman and played a pivotal role in the history of England and the emergence of the global slave trade. Born into a family of wealthy pirates, Hawkins became fascinated by tales of the riches of foreign lands. Early in his career he led an illegal expedition in which he captured three hundred slaves in Sierra Leone and transported them to the West Indies. There he traded them for pearls, hides, and sugar—thus giving birth to the British slave trade. His voyages were so lucrative that Queen Elizabeth herself sponsored subsequent missions. 
Discouraged from his career as a pirate by a near-fatal encounter with angry Spanish troops, Hawkins spent much of his later life in England at the service of the queen. Although he committed treason, murder, and adultery at various points in his career, he was nonetheless knighted in 1588 for his role in defeating the Spanish Armada. In this riveting book, Harry Kelsey, biographer of Sir Francis Drake, tells the story of this extraordinary man.

Sir John Hawkins: Queen Elizabeth s Slave Trader

Mission San Juan Capistrano: A Pocket History provides a succinct and engaging account of the "jewel of the missions," encompassing its people, buildings, and history. This small book covers 200 years of mission history, highlighted by 20 historical photos, maps, and drawings, plus a complete tour guide of the mission grounds. The author traces the mission's history from pre-European culture through encounters with the first explorers in 1542 and then the arrival of the Franciscan friars in 1775, accompanied by Spanish soldiers. The book explores daily life at the mission as it grew from a simple adobe chapel to a vaulted stone church. The narrative follows the great structure's fall in the earthquake of 1812, the mission's decline during Mexican secularization, and its slow but steady rebuilding over many decades from the late 19th century to the present day. 
Written in an accessible style well suited to young readers as well as adults, this short book will appeal to anyone interested in California history. The author sums up the story fittingly in these words: "The mission has been here for two hundred years, and it stands today as a monument to the people who have lived in the San Juan valley since time immemorial."

Mission San Juan Capistrano: A Pocket History

Liber Apertus Press

Mission San Luis Rey: A Pocket History engages readers with a quick and complete overview of the "king" of the California missions. The narrative encompasses 200 years of mission history, and features a complete tour guide of the mission buildings and grounds. The story begins with the native Luiseño people, their encounters with Spanish explorers, and the arrival of the Franciscan friars establishing Mission San Luis Rey in 1798. The author documents the building of the mission compound, culminating in the completion of the impressive church -- called "a palace" by one foreign visitor soon after its completion. The routines of daily life at the mission and its surrounding lands soon give way to decline and then abandonment due to secularization. The book concludes with the restoration and reconstruction of the mission over the past century, leaving the whole mission quadrangle today looking almost as it did when the Luiseños first completed it almost 200 years ago.
 Written in an accessible style well suited to young readers as well as adults, this short book will appeal to anyone interested in early California history. The text is enhanced by 23 historic photos, maps and illustrations, bringing the story to life.

Mission San Luis Rey: A Pocket History

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Harry Kelsey. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Harry Kelsey

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Harry Kelsey. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Sir Francis Drake: The Queen`s Pirate

Sir John Hawkins: Queen Elizabeth s Slave Trader

Mission San Juan Capistrano: A Pocket History

Mission San Luis Rey: A Pocket History