Benerson Little

Benerson Little is an American author, primarily of non-fiction, focusing on naval history, in particular, piracy and privateering in the 17th to early 18th centuries, including the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean. Little has also established himself as an expert, more broadly, on these and other various types of "sea rovers" over history, including through to the present, and has authored several books related to these subjects. He has also applied his expertise to a variety of artistic and commercial productions, including for the Black Sails (2014-) television series, and for the modern board game, Blood & Plunder (Firelock Games), serving as an historical consultant for both.

Early life and education

Benerson "Ben" Kile Little was born on July 30, 1959 in Naval Hospital Key West (on the site of the current Naval BHC Key West[1][2]) in that Florida city, to Alabamians Margaret Little (née Tillery) and Benerson Vernon Little,[3][4] [5] his father being "a Navy man."[6]:359

Little grew up "variously on all three US coasts," and studied and graduated from Tulane University.[7]

Career

Early career

Little joined the U.S. Navy, serving eight years as an officer, 1981–1989,[4][7] including the six years beginning 1983 as a Navy SEAL (BUD/S Class 121; SEAL Team 3 and SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1).[7] After 1989, Little worked in a strategy and tactics group for the related Naval Special Warfare Command, and in the private sector, doing intelligence collection and analysis relating to naval standard and special operations.[7]

Published works

In the first decades of the new millennium, Little has been doing research and writing, in particular non-fiction, with a focus on naval history relating to piracy, in particularly on "sea rovers"[6]—from early sea raiders, to privateers, letter-of-marque men, and cruisers, to commerce raiders, and pirates and pirate hunters[8]:8—including during the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean.[9] Little has established himself as an expert on the history of piracy and related subjects, and has authored several books. As of January 2017, he is reported to be devoting time to writing contemporary and historical novels.[7]


Books

The following are cataloged book-length publications of Little, as of January 2017:[10]

Non-fiction
  • Little, Benerson (2016). The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1510713048. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  • —— (2011). The Sea Rover's Practice: Pirate Tactics and Techniques, 1630-1730. Washington, DC: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1597973250. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  • —— (2010). How History's Greatest Pirates Pillaged, Plundered, and Got Away With It: The Stories, Techniques, and Tactics of the Most Feared Sea Rovers from 1500-1800. Beverly, MA: Fair Winds Press. ISBN 978-1610595001. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  • —— (2010). Pirate Hunting: The Fight Against Pirates, Privateers, and Sea Raiders from Antiquity to the Present. Washington, DC: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1597972918. Retrieved January 9, 2017. [Reviewed by U.S. Naval and Army War Colleges.[11][12]]
  • —— (2007). The Buccaneer's Realm: Pirate Life on the Spanish Main, 1674–1688. Washington, DC: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1597971010. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
Fiction
  • Little, Benerson (2015). Fortune's Whelp. Vol. 1 of series by same name. Tucson, AZ: Penmore Press. ISBN 978-1942756606. Retrieved January 9, 2017.

Selected articles
  • Little, Benerson (2012). Eyewitness Images of Buccaneers and Their Vessels. The Mariner's Mirror. 98. Glasgow: Society for Nautical Research/Taylor & Francis. pp. 312–326. doi:10.1080/00253359.2012.10709007. ISBN 978-1597971010. S2CID 163555946.

Consulting

Little consults on maritime and naval issues, including "maritime threat and security, and especially maritime history."[7]

He has served as the historical consultant for the Black Sails television series (Starz/Anchor Bay, 2014-),[13][14] for the first three seasons at least,[14][13] appearing as well on the 9 min. featurette, 'Black Sails': An Inside Look (2014) that was packaged with the Blu-ray disc of the programme's first season.[14] About the Black Sails production, Little has said:

I've seen all the movies and TV series on pirates to date—and although my attitude is perhaps a little colored [biased], I think, frankly, that this is the absolute, most realistic pirate drama to date… [Danish: Jeg har set samtlige film og tv-serier om pirater tip dato—og selvom min holdning måske er lidt farvet, så mener jeg helt ærligt, at det her er det absolut mest realistiske pirat-drama tip dato…][13]

a statement about which Søren Dalager Ditlevsen of DR Kultur reported:

Morten Tinning, a Dane from the M/S Museet for Søfart [M/S Maritime Museum, of Denmark] in Helsingør, agrees. [Danish: Danske Morten Tinning fra M/S Museet for Søfart i Helsingør er enig.][13]

Little also served as consultant for the modern board game, Blood & Plunder from Firelock Games, "to ensure that all models, campaigns and strategies reflect the period."[15]

Appearances

Little has appeared in two television documentaries on piracy.[7]

Critical reception

Interest in Little's work has been both scholarly (in both academic and military circles) and popular; notably, Pirate Hunting (2010) was chosen for review by both the Naval and U.S. Army War Colleges.[11][12]

Jack Gottschalk, a graduate of the Naval War College, an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University, and author of Jolly Roger with an Uzi (2000, with Brian P. Flanagan, on modern piracy[16]), writing for the Naval War College Review with regard to Pirate Hunting, expressed the view that:

[Little] has done a superb job of recounting the violent history that surrounds pirates and raiders and the measures that have been taken to hunt and suppress them. Also, [he] has not forgotten privateers, who, depending on available opportunities, easily switched from being pirate hunters to pirates. Little opens by noting the differences between pirates… and raiders… Additionally, he provides detailed information about pirate and raider ships and about tactics and weapons…[11]

Writing in the National Maritime Historical Society's Sea History, Louis Arthur Norton, professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut, recipient of two Gerald E. Morris Prizes for maritime historiography (2002, 2006), and author of Captains Contentious (2009, on the lives of five Continental Navy captains),[17][18] describes Little's The Sea Rover’s Practice (2011) as a "scholarly, informative, thought-provoking work," and states, "Considering all the titles that have been published in the last decade on piracy, this book is an excellent resource on its true nature."[19]

As noted,[20] Little's work in providing historical expertise to artistic and commercial efforts on piracy has been seen as imparting high quality to the projects.[13]

Personal life

Little married Virgina Irene Buttram (née Sullivan) on March 8, 1986 at the Chapel at the Naval Air Station North Island,[4][21] on the north end of the Coronado peninsula in San Diego Bay.[22] The couple had two daughters, born 1991 and 1994.[4][8]:359

As of February 2016, Benerson is reported to have been remarried, to Marry Crouch.[23]

Little is described as devoting some of his spare time to research on "historical fencing,"[7]:359 and is a fifteen-year teaching veteran of fencing, with thirty-five years in practice and earlier study under Hungarian masters Francis Zold and Eugene Hamori; as of January 2017, he is reported to be a Professional Member of the United States Fencing Association (especially épée, modern classical foil), and is a Co-Director of and fencing Instructor at the Huntsville Fencing Club.[5]

As of 2010, Little resided in Huntsville, Alabama.[8]:359

References
  1. BHC is "Base Heath Clinic," a branch of Naval Hospital Jacksonville. See McDonald, Dale M.† and SLAF Staff (2017-01-11). "Photographs: DM6946 [View showing the Key West Naval Hospital…]". FloridaMemory.com. Tallahassee, FL: State Library and Archives of Florida. Retrieved 11 January 2017. Date of original image, March 2, 1998
  2. Navy Medicine Staff (2017-01-11). "Naval Hospital Jacksonville: Naval Branch Health Clinic Key West". Med.Navy.mil. Falls Church, VA: Navy Medicine. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  3. Tillery Jr., John Chester (2013-03-14). "The JohnTillerys of Rochester NH" (self-published family genealogy). Genealogy.com. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  4. Tillery Jr., John Chester (2013-03-14). "Information about Benerson Kile Little" (self-published family genealogy). Genealogy.com. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  5. HFC Officers [Little, Benerson, et al.] (2017-01-11). "Officers and Affiliations]". HuntsvilleFencingClub.org. Huntsville, AL: Huntsville Fencing Club. Retrieved 11 January 2017.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) At its first appearance in the "Early life…" section, this citation supports the appearance of "Ben" as a recognized moniker for the title subject. All remaining material in that section is drawn from Tillery Jr., op. cit., except regarding his place of birth (in parentheses), which are from the references appearing therein.
  6. Little, Benerson (2011). The Sea Rover's Practice: Pirate Tactics and Techniques, 1630-1730. Washington, DC: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1597973250. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  7. Little, Benerson (2017-01-09). "Benerson Little". HistoricNavalFiction.com. Archived from the original (autobiographical sketch) on 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
  8. Little, Benerson (2010). Pirate Hunting: The Fight Against Pirates, Privateers, and Sea Raiders from Antiquity to the Present. Washington, DC: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1597972918. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  9. Little, Benerson (2016). The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1510713048. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  10. OCLC Staff (2017-01-11). "Search Results For 'au:Little, Benerson,' [Book, Print Book]". OCLC.org. Dublin, OH: Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  11. Gottschalk, Jack (2012). "Book Reviews: Little, Benerson. Pirate Hunting: The Fight Against Pirates, Privateers, and Sea Raiders from Antiquity to the Present…". Naval War College Review. 65 (4, Autumn): 150f. ISSN 0028-1484. Archived from the original on 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2017-01-09. See also this abstract presentation, from the publisher.
  12. Patch, John (2011). "Review Essay: The Piracy "Threat" in Perspective, §Piracy by Another Name [Review of five books, including Pirate Hunting]" (PDF). Parameters: U.S. Army War College Quarterly. 41 (1, Spring): 142–149, esp. 146f. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  13. Ditlevsen, Søren Dalager (2016-03-27). "Søfartshistoriker: Populær HBO-Serie Om Pirater Er Yderst Realistisk... [Maritime Historian: Popular HBO Series About Pirates Is Extremely Realistic]". DR Kultur (in Danish). Retrieved 2017-01-09 – via DR.dk. [Quote:] = Men hvis man vil vide, hvordan pirateri foregik i virkeligheden, er den populære tv-serie ’Black Sails’ – som har sæsonafslutning i dag - et rigtig godt sted at begynde./ - Jeg har set samtlige film og tv-serier om pirater til dato – og selvom min holdning måske er lidt farvet, så mener jeg helt ærligt, at det her er det absolut mest realistiske pirat-drama til dato, fortæller tv-seriens historiske konsulent, historikeren Benerson Little til DR Historie. / Danske Morten Tinning fra M/S Museet for Søfart i Helsingør er enig. [Transl. (machine, checked)] But if you want to know how piracy occurred, in reality, the popular TV series 'Black Sails'—whose season ends today—is a very good place to start. / 'I've seen all the movies and TV series on pirates to date—and although my attitude is perhaps a little colored [biased], I think, frankly, that this is the absolute, most realistic pirate drama to date," TV series historical consultant, Benerson Little, an historian, tells DR. / Morten Tinning, a Dane from the M/S Museet for Søfart [M/S Maritime Museum] in Helsingør, agrees.]
  14. Nutt, Shannon T. (2015-01-06). Attebery, Mike (ed.). "Review: Black Sails: Season One" (digital product review). High-Def Digest. Retrieved 2017-01-09. [Quote:] = 'Black Sails': An Inside Look (HD, 9 min.) – A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the series, originally produced as a promo piece for the Starz network. Included here are comments from members of the cast and crew, as well as historian [sic.] consultant for the series, Benerson Little.
  15. BGG Staff [Alden, Scott; Solko, Derk; et al.] (2016-09-13). "Gen Con 2016 Preview: 150. Board Game, Blood & Plunder [Firelock Games]". RPGGeek.com [RPG, Role Playing Game]. Archived from the original (online gaming news) on 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-01-09. [Quote:] = Consultation from world renowned historian and author Bennerson [sic.] Little (Black Sails, Fortune's Whelp) to ensure that all models, campaigns and strategies reflect the period.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. Gottschalk, Jack A. & Flanagan, Brian P. (2000). Jolly Roger with an Uzi: The Rise and Threat of Modern Piracy. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1557503282. Retrieved 2017-01-09.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  17. USCP Staff (2017-01-11). "Captains Contentious: The Dysfunctional Sons of the Brine, Louis Arthur Norton". SC.edu/USCPress. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press (USCP). Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  18. Norton, Louis Arthur (2009). Captains Contentious: The Dysfunctional Sons of the Brine. Studies in Maritime History. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1570038075. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  19. Norton, Louis Arthur (2006). "Review: Benerson Little, 'The Sea Rover's Practice: Pirate Tactics and Techniques, 1630-1730'". Sea History. 114 (Spring).
  20. See the subsection on his Consulting work in the Career section, above, for a full description of this point.
  21. This is currently a part of the Commander, Navy Installations Command's (CNIC's) Naval Base Coronado. See the wikilink and citation following.
  22. CNIC Staff (2017-01-11). "Welcome to Naval Base Coronado". CNIC.Navy.mil. Washington, DC: U.S. Navy, Commander, Navy Installations Command. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  23. Parker, Gregg (2016-02-16). "State Language Group Honors Crouch". The Madison Record. Retrieved 2017-01-11.

Further reading
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