When we think of pirates we conjure up images of Blackbeard
and Captain Kidd, or even fictional pirates such as Long
John Silver, Captain Hook and Captain Jack Sparrow. These
historical characters all hailed from one period. Known
as "The Golden Age of Piracy", this period only
lasted around a quarter of a century - from around 1700
until 1725. However, piracy has been around a lot longer
than that. In fact ever since people started venturing onto
the sea, others were waiting to waylay them.
The term 'pirate' instantly conjures up a picture of a figure
in a battered coat and tricorne hat, festooned with weaponry
and looking as if he could fillet you with his cutlass as
soon as look at you. Pirates are used to sell everything
from rum to cars, from homes to insurance. Like the pirate
himself, the skull and crossbones symbol used on pirate
flags has become an instantly recognizable and identifiable
image - a symbol of piracy and of rebellion against authority.
Pirate expert Angus Konstam sails through the brutal history
of piracy, from the pirates who plagued the Ancient Egyptians,
Greeks and Romans to the Viking raids on northern Europe
through the golden age of piracy and on to the era of privateers
who flourished during a period of constant warring on the
European continent. He then examines the West's initial
encounters with Eastern pirates off the Chinese coast whose
confederations had sprung up in the 17th century and whose
actions were severely hampering the West by the 19th century.
Finally Konstam examines the phenomenon of the modern pirate,
preying on modern super tankers. The reality of piracy is
that it is a vicious, often deadly business. By separating
the realities of piracy from the Hollywood-inspired fiction,
and by tracing the development of piracy through the centuries,
this book gives a realistic vision of what piracy actually
involves.
Separating myth from legend and fact from fiction, this
book takes you into the very depths of the pirate's dark
world through the ages to provide the reader with a complete
account of the blood-soaked history of piracy.
The 360 page, 120,000 word book is the
ultimate pirate history book the one which tells the full
story. The swashbuckling text is augmented by over 100 illustrations
- most in color a series of eight specially commissioned
maps, plus a glossary of sea terms, notes on sources and
a bibliography.
Contents
Chapter 1: Piracy in the Ancient World;
Chapter 2: Medieval Pirates;
Chapter 3: The Sea Dogs of the Renaissance;
Chapter 4: Mediterranean Corsairs;
Chapter 5: The Buccaneers of the Caribbean;
Chapter 6: The Golden Age of Piracy;
Chapter 7: The Pirate Round;
Chapter 8: The Last of the Pirates;
Chapter 9 The Chinese Pirates;
Chapter 10: Modern Pirates;
Chapter 11: Pirates in Fiction;
