Short description
This volume portrays an accurate picture of the pirates who sailed of the Caribbean and American coastlines during the golden age of piracy between 1660 and 1730. It examines their lifestyle and codes of conduct, what ships and weapons they used and the main characters of the period.
Long description
This book aims to portray an accurate picture of the pirates who sailed in the waters of the Caribbean and off the American coastline during the golden age of piracy and shows that the life of a pirate was nasty, brutish and short (with one or two notable exceptions). It traces the origins of piratical activity in the 16th century and examines the Boucaneer (Bucaneer) culture in Jamaica and Hispaniola. It details what drove individuals to a life of piracy, how they dressed, their weaponry, the ships they used and the codes by which they operated, for example, disciplinary procedures and the division of booty. It also catalogues the main characters active during this period: Edward Blackbeard Teach, Henry Morgan, Henry Long Ben Avery, Stede Bonnet, William Kidd, John Calico Jack Rackham and the female duo associated with him, Anne Bonny and Mary Read.