Pirates are back in fashion! Thanks to the antics of fictional Cpt. Jack Sparrow — 'the worst pirate' you've ever seen — swashbuckling fun on the high seas has enjoyed a huge leap in popularity. But as this lavishly illustrated history points out, the term 'swashbuckle' originally had nothing to do with pirates. Many other popular myths are also exploded in a text written by one of the foremost authorities on the subject.
In addition to coverage of the 'Golden Age' of the early 18th century, the period that produced most of the buccaneers whose names have gripped the imagination - Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, Kidd - this volume provides fascinating insights into the ancient pirates of the Mediterranean, piracy in the Byzantine era, and tales from the Barbary Coast. Neither are the Indian Ocean nor the South China Sea forgotten, both in history and in the modern era. So sit back and enjoy the exploits of these capricious, sometimes charismatic, and frequently bloodthirsty sea dogs and highwaymen of the oceans.
About the author
Angus Konstam has made a lifelong study of maritime history and archaeology, and he holds degrees in history and archaeology. He is a museum professional with experience in both Britain and the United States, where he was chief curator of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West. He has recently published the pirate biography Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate (John Wiley & Sons Inc). His knowledge and experience make him uniquely qualified to write a comprehensive guide to piracy through the ages. He is the author of more than a dozen books on maritime subjects. Konstam lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Film-maker, journalist Roger Michael Kean has edited historical reference books for many years, including the History of Pirates and History of Shipwrecks. Kean is also author of The Complete Chronicle of the Emperors of Rome and Forgotten Power: Byzantium — Bulwark of Christianity.
Table of Contents
- Foreword by Angus Konstam, author of Blackbeard; America's Most Notorious Pirate (2006, John Wiley & Sons)
- 1. The Pirate Ship - the work-sea horse of ages
Greek and Roman biremes / Mediterranean galleys / Ships of medieval Europe / Galleys vs sailing ships / Spanish galleon and English privateer / Sloops — the ideal vessel / Pirate ships of the East - 2. The Ancient World — piracy as migration and politics
From the pirates of Lycia through Egyptians and Greeks to Pompey and the Cilician pirates - 3. Into the Middle Ages — from barbarians to privateers
Vandals in Africa / Piracy in Byzantium / Early European pirates / the Barbary Coast - 4. Wealth of the New World — the Spanish Main and the Sea Rovers
Privateers of the Elizabethan Era / Pedro de Menéndez - the man to stop them - 5. Buccaneering — men of the sloop
Pirates of many nationalities / Henry Morgan and the sack of Cartagena - 6. The Golden Age — start of the swashbuckling myth
Piracy's most famous names of the Caribbean from Blackbeard to Anne Bonny and Mary Reade - 7. Piracy in the Indian Ocean
Thomas Tew / William Kidd / Henry Every / Edward England / Kanhoji Angria - 8. The Privateering Era
French Privateers / American Privateers / John Paul Jones - 9. The Last Pirates
Jean Laffite / Don Pedro Gibert / Benito de Soto - 10. Piracy in the Far East
Kuo Hsing Yeh / Ching Yih / Shap-'ng-Tsai / Today's piratehotspots - 11. Pirate bases — home, sweet home...
Tortuga and Port Royal / New Providence / Barataria, Galveston and Cuba / Madagascar - 12. Modern Day Pirates
Pirate apparel / The pirate's code — more a set of guidelines... / Pirate fictions / Piracy's legacy