Dark Waters: The True Story of Blackbeard the Pirate King

by Scott Davis Dawson

Most of what you learn about pirates is fiction and stems from the entertainment industry. Dark Waters tells the real story of pirates such as Blackbeard, Charles Vane and Stede Bonnet. What the primary sources tell us is that pirates were not the root of evil. They were a symptom of problems that were far more systemic. The politicians who used pirates for their own gain were even more ruthless and unrelenting than the worst of the pirates. The golden age of piracy was brief but had a lasting impact. Who were these men and women that hoisted the black? Dive into Dark Waters and find out.

150 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2022

About the author

Scott Dawson is a researcher, author, and founder of the Croatoan Archaeological Society, which has led archaeological excavations on Hatteras Island, a barrier island off the North Carolina coast, to uncover the mystery of what happened to members of "Lost Colony" at nearby Roanoke. His recent book, The Lost Colony and Hatteras Island, documents his team’s discoveries over the last ten years.

Dawson himself is a native Hatteras Island, having grown up less than a mile from the Croatoan village site. His family can trace their roots on Hatteras back to the 1600's when a Dutchman named Thomas Mueller shipwrecked on the island, was rescued by the Croatoan Indians, and later married a Croatoan woman named Rea. In 2002, Scott received a degree in Psychology with a minor in history from the University of Tennessee.

Currently, Scott manages the local Croatoan Inn and Museum in Buxton on Hatteras Island, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.

Reviews

[Robby Sheets · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully short but well researched book. Dawson is excellent in his research of primary sources and truly offers a much more accurate story of the man Edward Thatch or Teach than is usually told.