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Enemies of All: The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Piracy

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A masterful narrative history of the dangerous lives of pirates during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, revealing their unique impact on colonialism and empire.

The pirates that exist in our imagination are not just any pirates. Violent sea-raiding has occurred in most parts of the world throughout history, but our popular stereotype of pirates has been defined by one historical the period from the 1660s to the 1730s, the so-called "golden age of piracy."

A groundbreaking history of pirates, Enemies of All combines narrative adventure with deeply researched analysis, engrossing readers in the rise of piracy in the later seventeenth century, the debates about piracy in contemporary law and popular media, as well as the imperial efforts to suppress piracy in the early eighteenth century.

The Caribbean and American colonies of Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands—where piracy surged across these decades—are the main theater for Enemies of All , but this is a global story. Evoking London, Paris, and Amsterdam, Curaçao, Port Royal, Tortuga, and Charleston, the narrative takes readers, too, from Ireland and the Mediterranean to Madagascar and India, from the Arabian Gulf to the Pacific Ocean.

Familiar characters like Drake, Morgan, Blackbeard, Bonny and Read, Henry Every, and Captain Kidd all feature here, but so too will the less well-known figures from the history of piracy, their crew-members, shipmates, and their confederates ashore; the men and women whose transatlantic lives were bound up with the rise and fall of piracy.

Transforming how readers understand the history of pirates, Enemies of All presents not only the historical evidence but, more importantly, explains the consequences of piracy's unique influence on colonialism and European imperial ambitions.

336 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 2024

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About the author

Richard Blakemore

3 books3 followers

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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Tony Fanelli.
8 reviews1 follower
October 15, 2024
I’ve absolutely loved pirates ever since I was a wee lad.

This book has a ton of great historical information and has a lot of knowledge and thought put into it. The stories are overall very interesting and seeing how historical trends still impact today is something I love reading about.

It may be a “me-problem,” but I found the delivery of the stories and information so… dry. It was written “matter-of-factly” and there seemed to be no personality or touch of pizazz into the narrative. I understand it’s a historical book and most don’t deliver it that way, but it’s just a little gripe of mine. I think the author could’ve tried to do a little better on that. Finally, there’s just so. Many. Names. It’s really hard to keep track of in my opinion and I found myself battling to just remember who was who.

Overall, an interesting read if not a bit dry
Profile Image for lifelonghistorylover.
68 reviews5 followers
June 27, 2024
This exciting new book takes the reader on a voyage of discovery, investigating who pirates were, describing their exploits and everyday lives, examining the origins of the myths surrounding them and their impact on history. Socially, economically, and politically, pirates and piracy moulded empires as they rose to global power in the 17th and 18th centuries.
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Be honest, when you think of pirates, you think of the Hollywood version, don’t you? I certainly do, despite reading a few really good books on the subject (Enemies of All being one of them!). We conjure up an image of a great creaking ship with a weathered skull and crossbones flag billowing menacingly in the breeze. The captain is wearing an eyepatch, and he has a hook for a hand. He has a parrot sitting on his shoulder, squawking and staring judgementally at the crew. These are the stereotypes challenged in Richard Blakemore’s new book. (Although, there is some truth behind the skull and crossbones flag!)
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Enemies of All will challenge what you think you already know about pirates and perhaps change your opinion about some of them. It lifts the lid on piracy and looks to define what a pirate actually is. The author explains the difference between buccaneer, privateer and corsair. The reader is invited to look beyond the romanticized versions of the pirates we see in Hollywood and literature. There were double standards when it came to being a pirate. If you were plundering for the ‘right’ people, such as the royals, then it was deemed ok, but if not, then a pirate could be executed.
I liked how the book explored the origins of pirates and their expansion, and not just the popular and widely written about Golden Age of Piracy. All the famous names you might expect are mentioned, such as Anne Bonny and Blackbeard, but there were also some names unfamiliar to me. Media is something also discussed in the book, which I enjoyed, as this is how most of us discovered pirates! The author talks about the lasting legacies and impact these people left behind.
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Richard Blakemore has studied pirates for a decade, from his PhD to his role as Associate Professor in Social and Maritime History at the University of Reading. You can tell a massive amount of time, research and passion went into the writing of this book. And even though it is incredibly informative, it is not a dry read. Enemies of All is accessible and entertaining. I would love to read more by this author. A highly recommended read!
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Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!
116 reviews5 followers
February 12, 2025
Enemies of All by Richard Blakemore: A History of Treachery, Ambition, and the Enduring Folly of Mankind
History, Red in Tooth and Claw

It is a peculiar habit of the human species to believe, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that history is a linear ascent toward something resembling enlightenment. Richard Blakemore, in his masterful and unflinching Enemies of All, performs the thankless task of reminding us otherwise.

This is not the history of noble visionaries guiding civilization forward, nor is it a comforting tale of humanity’s gradual moral improvement. It is, rather, an anatomy of betrayal, an account of the figures who, for ambition, vengeance, or sheer nihilistic glee, have waged war not merely against their rivals but against civilization itself. Enemies of All is a book about those who have systematically dismantled order, from assassins and demagogues to entire movements devoted to the destruction of the institutions that sustain society.

Blakemore writes with the crisp authority of a scholar and the rhetorical precision of a prosecutor delivering a closing argument. He does not pander to sentimentality or false nostalgia. Instead, he offers an account of history as it has often been lived—not as a slow march toward justice, but as an endless cycle of power gained, abused, and lost.
Richard Blakemore: A Chronicler of Civilization’s Discontents

Blakemore’s expertise is apparent in every paragraph. A historian of remarkable range, he has an eye not only for the grand movements that shape history but also for the smaller, often overlooked details that reveal history’s true character. He has spent a career studying the forces that have undone empires, toppled republics, and undermined the very institutions that, in more optimistic tellings of history, are said to be eternal.

His previous works established him as a historian willing to take an unvarnished look at the past, but Enemies of All cements his reputation as something rarer: a writer who understands that history is often written not by the victors but by the survivors, and that those two groups are not always the same.

Blakemore’s approach is forensic—methodically dismantling historical myths to reveal the harsh, often cynical realities beneath them. He does not waste time with hero worship or moralizing; he understands that history is too unruly for simple morality plays.
A Catalogue of Saboteurs, Betrayers, and Civilization’s Greatest Foes

Enemies of All is structured around figures and movements that have, through malice or opportunism, sought to unmake the social order. Some of these figures are well known—Julius Caesar’s assassins, the Jacobins of the French Revolution, the Bolsheviks of 1917—but Blakemore’s greatest strength lies in his ability to bring lesser-known episodes into focus.

He explores the insidious power of financial sabotage, the deliberate undermining of institutions from within, and the role of intellectual movements that have sought to deconstruct societal norms under the guise of progress. The result is a history book that does not merely recount events but makes an argument: civilization is not a given, but a fragile and often temporary achievement.
Blakemore’s Prose: Wry, Precise, and Unforgiving

There is a joy in reading an author who refuses to indulge in modern history-writing’s most tedious tendencies—namely, the impulse to smother historical figures in contemporary moral judgments or to rewrite the past as a morality play in which history’s villains are easily identifiable and always get their comeuppance.

Blakemore has no such illusions. His prose is refreshingly unsentimental, his humor as dry as an overcooked roast. He describes historical betrayals with the knowing cynicism of one who has seen it all before—because, in truth, history has seen it all before.

Consider this passage, in which he recounts the fall of the Roman Republic:

“Rome did not collapse in a day, nor even in a century. It was not felled by barbarian hordes alone, nor by one tyrant’s ambition. It was, rather, undone by the accumulation of small treacheries, each carried out by men who assured themselves that they were saving the Republic while carving away at its foundations. Every civilization, given time, will produce its own Gracchi, its own Caesars, and—perhaps most fatally—its own Ciceros, eloquently warning of doom while proving unable to prevent it.”

It is this kind of writing—elegant, knowing, and laced with a humor so subtle that it might go unnoticed by the inattentive—that makes Enemies of All such a pleasure to read.
The Book’s Central Argument: Civilization’s Greatest Enemy is Complacency

If Enemies of All has a central thesis, it is that history is not moved forward by grand ideals so much as it is driven by the baser instincts of man—greed, vengeance, fear, and the eternal temptation to believe that the rules which hold society together are either unnecessary or unjust.

Blakemore suggests that history’s greatest saboteurs rarely see themselves as such. The most effective destroyers of order are not wild-eyed radicals or obvious villains; they are, more often, men in fine suits, speaking in measured tones about necessary change, pragmatic compromises, and the inevitability of "progress."

The lesson of Enemies of All is not that civilization is doomed but that it is never safe. Every generation produces those who, for reasons of ideology, ambition, or simple resentment, seek to dismantle it. And every generation, in turn, believes that it is immune to the mistakes of its predecessors.
Final Verdict: A Masterpiece of Historical Analysis

There are history books that educate, and there are history books that challenge. Enemies of All does both, while also managing to entertain with its wit, insight, and refusal to offer easy answers.

It is a book for those who understand that history is not a straight road but a Möbius strip, repeating itself with only minor variations. It is a book for the clear-eyed, the skeptics, the readers who do not need to be told that civilizations rise and fall—but who appreciate a masterful account of exactly how and why they do.

If history is a long record of folly, Enemies of All is its indispensable field guide.
Profile Image for historic_chronicles.
309 reviews9 followers
June 20, 2024
When I think of a "pirate", there is an instant evocation of swashbuckling adventures, peg legs, cutlasses, parrots sitting on the shoulder and black flags. It is all very Treasure Island. Associate Professor in Social and Maritime History at the University of Reading, Richard Blakemore is here to set the record straight. 

The realities of a pirate - or perhaps better known as a "buccaneer", "corsair", or "privateer" - was far from the romantic and idealised version in fiction and film. Traitors, murderers and exiles, these figures were often enemies of the state. Blakemore covers topics such as the origins of the pirate, the lasting impacts of pirate activity, and how this shaped social and political landscapes. From the infamous pirates to the obscure, the author is limitless in their knowledge of this deeply fascinating and utterly captivating period of history. 

Engaging, fresh, and completely accessible, Enemies of All delivered an essential record that is of the highest quality.

Thank you to @thehistorypressuk who kindly sent me a copy of this book to review.
Profile Image for Erdogan.
17 reviews1 follower
August 19, 2024
I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I have to give credit where it's due—Blakemore knows his stuff, and his research is top-notch. The book is impressively balanced, with each topic getting just the right amount of attention. Whether he's diving into the gritty details of pirate life or exploring the broader socio-economic factors that fueled piracy, Blakemore maintains a steady rhythm that kept me engaged throughout.

One thing that stood out to me was how well the book holds together. The chapters flow seamlessly from one to the next, creating a cohesive narrative that’s both informative and easy to follow. I never felt like I was being bogged down in one area or left wanting more in another. Blakemore clearly put a lot of thought into the structure, and it pays off—there’s a satisfying sense of completeness by the end.

But here’s the thing: as much as I appreciated the book's balance and depth, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d read it all before. Enemies of All covers a lot of ground, but it’s the same ground that’s been thoroughly explored in countless other books on piracy. The usual suspects—Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny—are all here, but there’s nothing particularly new or surprising about their stories in this retelling. For someone like me, who’s read a fair bit about pirates over the years, this book didn’t offer much in the way of fresh insights.

It left me questioning why Enemies of All was published in the first place. Don’t get me wrong—if you’re new to the topic, this book is a great introduction. It’s well-rounded, accessible, and does a solid job of covering the basics. But for those of us who’ve already been down this road, it feels more like a recap than a revelation.

In the end, I’d say Enemies of All is a competent and balanced read, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. If you’re just starting out in your exploration of pirate history, you’ll probably find it quite satisfying. But if, like me, you’ve already spent some time in these waters, you might find yourself longing for something a bit more daring and original.
Profile Image for Mike Stewart.
425 reviews5 followers
February 6, 2025
I rarely give up on a book but this one was an exception. I bailed less than half way through. The blurbs on the back cover promised "a rollicking...account" and "swashbuckling narratives." Not so. Instead, I found pages spent on the shifting legal definition of piracy, necessary to the subject but as presented, not very interesting reading. The text was somewhat confusing, moving back and forth in time and the actual activities of the pirates were dealt with in a dry cursory fashion. Narrative history is clearly not the author's strong suit. I do give him credit for his scholarship, if not his presentation.
19 reviews
March 17, 2025
Solid read but should not be your first in the genre. Meticulously researched but maybe spends too much time debating legal terms. He doesn’t write the story chronologically or by character or subject so it’s sometimes a jumble. Lots of useful facts and recommendations for further reading. Let’s too much of his politics get into his writing. He stops short of a land acknowledgement but is very apologetic towards one side of the slave trade while not being equally objective towards the North African raiding of southern Europe. Dispels many legends and myths and gets into some really good nuggets and details about pirate life and the struggles of sailors and trade.
Profile Image for Rowan's Bookshelf (Carleigh).
656 reviews61 followers
Read
September 13, 2024
DNF this one because not enough focus on the actual pirates!! I got about 80 pages in and each chapter was a struggle personally, it spends way too much time on the minutiae of the colonies, a bunch of names I did not need to know, and when we actually get to talking about the pirates there was close to no detail whatsoever! I don't know how many ships these guys had, how many men, how they went about raiding these colonial villages, and I guess I'm not patient enough to slog through too much historical context with no payoff
2 reviews
February 18, 2025
Overall, the book was very interesting. I have never cared about pirates but I love world history. It is hard to enjoy world history and not understand the importance of “privateers” in the early 1700s.

One note, the names and dates can become somewhat overwhelming and the author switches ideas quickly after making strong statement with little support throughout the book. That was my only complaint. Everything else was incredible and I got a better understanding of what led to the rise and fall of pirates and the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
Profile Image for Philippe Houben.
18 reviews
April 3, 2025
Een boeiende kijk op piraten, een boek dat de waarheid van fictie uit elkaar haald.
Soms gooit de auteur iets te veel met namen zonder veel achtergrond, maar al bij al een zeer leuke leeservaring
Profile Image for Jim Twombly.
Author 7 books13 followers
July 31, 2025
Very detailed and well-researched. It is hard to follow, though, as Blakemore jumps from one timeframe to another and back and forth across continents and oceans.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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