Pirates: A History

by Tim Travers

More than just a history of the real 'pirates of the Caribbean', Pirates: A History explores piracy from ancient times to the present day, from the bloodthirsty Viking raiders who terrorised northern Europe to the legendary female Chinese pirate of the 1920s, Lai Choi San. In this history we see how thin the line was between a royalty chartered privateer and a pirate, most notably epitomised by Francis Drake. Then there were the Renegades: Europeans captured by the Barbary corsairs who converted to Islam and became pirate captains in their own right. Some were simply cut-throat drunkards, but many pirate ships were run on surprisingly progressive, democratic principles. The 'golden age' or piracy is examined afresh and the colourful characters of the era brought to life. Accounts of Blackbeard, Black Barty and William Kidd illustrate the truth behind the legends of the Jolly Roger.

Genres: History, Pirates, Nonfiction

571 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2008

About the author

Tim Travers is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Calgary.

Reviews

[Seth Kenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Probably one of the best [non-fiction] history books I have yet to read. It is meticulous in its citations, well-organised such that the history is put into context and becomes as gripping a story as any fiction book or movie.

The book covers an incredibly broad range of topics; it's not just about European pirates of the 1600 and 1700s. In this book, you'll find the history of pirates of Madagascar, the Americas, the Orient, and even a bit about land pirates. It doesn't just dictate to you what the history was, either; it speculates and draws conclusions from documented and cited sources. It always admits to what it doesn't know, so you get a very healthy mix of hard facts about pirates and the conclusions that may be drawn from evidence left to us by writers of the time.

Highly recommended.

[Nik · Rating 4 out of 5]

By no means authoritative, but a highly entertaining and very well researched read that looks at piracy contextually and over the course of centuries. My only gripe - its all too brief overview of modern piracy, in stark contrast to the rest of the book which is story-rich and gives a real taste of what life on the high seas must have been back in the time of Blackbeard and Jacques de Sores.