Privateering

Kert has accomplished a great deal in a short space. Her notes, tables, and charts are jewels in themselves...[her] book points the way forward, providing a wealth of information that will guide future scholars navigating privateer waters.

...a fine study...

A prodigious body of empirical research is distilled into a concise and pointed account that will appeal to scholars, military professionals, and educated laymen alike.

Kert noted that there hasve been more than 400 books published on the maritime War of 1812. Do we need yet another?... The answer is yes. Kert's work, Privateering: Patriots and Profits in the War of 1912, capably fills the gap and adds a valuable chapter to the literature of the war.

Kert’s work has opened an invaluable window into the lives of the entrepreneurial warriors who played a critical, yet poorly understood, role during the War of 1812. Solidifying the importance of her work, Kert added a valuable essay on the archival and secondary sources of privateering during the War of 1812 and has published her database of ships and individuals involved in privateering on the website of her publisher, allowing future scholars to build upon her scholarship.

Privateering during the War of 1812 has long needed a modern historical perspective. Canadian historian Faye Kert has done an admirable job in documenting how the United States and Britain mobilized and regulated privateering during the War of 1812. She demonstrates concisely how it worked as both a risky business venture and as a means of waging war on the high seas.