Piracy flourished in the early 18th Century, producing many of the buccaneers whose legendary names have gripped our imaginations: Blackbeard, Captain Kidd and Bartholomew Roberts, to name a few, yet piracy on the high seas existed long before Blackbeard’s name struck terror in the hearts of merchant seamen (Julius Caesar was captured by pirates) and it remains a problem today. Modern pirates regularly attack vessels sailing through the South China Sea. “The History of Pirates” traces piracy from the seas of antiquity to the New World and beyond. It represents a thorough, authoritative and memorable portrait of the fascinating world of pirates. Detailed maps bear vivid testimony to the far-ranging exploits of these capricious, often charismatic and frequently bloodthirsty robbers of the high seas.
