Thursday 19 May 2011

The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook

The release of Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides is upon us (I went to watch said film last night, in fact) and so now seems to be an appropriate time to bring you a review of The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook!

Published by Quirk and written by Jason Heller, The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook is a neat little hardback which more than justifies its £12.99 price tag. It is sturdy, with a front cover that shows Jack Sparrow in all his swashbuckling sexy glory, while the insides of the book reveal a sharp sense of humour and showcase some lush stills from the films.

Across six chapters, we are given hints and tips about how to become the most feared pirate across the seas. I particularly loved how the text was a mix of Pirates of the Caribbean canon and actual historical fact (or hearsay, depending on your perspective!)

There are sections on How to Pass the Time (including choosing a suitable pet to alleviate hours of boredom) and How to Disguise Your Gender (with such fine tips as "It also doesn't hurt to continually and crassly punctuate your discourse with belches, curses, and overall crudity.")

The tone of the films is very much present here - enormously tongue in cheek, with some great quotes from the Jack Sparrow character (which should help you to build your own pirate character *grin*).

Anyone who has enjoyed the Pirates films will find something to love within the pages of this great handbook. The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook would make a lovely gift for fans of the film (and for those who want to have more pictures of Johnny Depp all dolled up as Captain Jack *drools a little*). I really enjoyed reading my way through this, and will be passing it onto my thirteen year old nephew who will no doubt adore it! Recommended.

3 comments:

  1. I'm not sure do I want to see this movie (i mean the fourth part), although I like Jack very much, something missing to me in this story... Handbook? hm... I'll look for it... :) Bye :)

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  2. What did you think of the fourth Pirates movie? I haven't seen it yet, but it looked promising from the trailer.

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  3. I didn't think there was much more to it than 'swagger and look like you've taken a lot of drugs', hehe. Looks to be a good compliment to the new movie though :)

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