Description

Pirates and acts of piracy were not limited to the Caribbean Sea and the 16th and 17th centuries, as we often think, but ranged far across time and place. The author describes the men of adventure who took to pirating in classical times around the Mediterranean Sea, and, later, the Vikings in the North Sea, the Algerian Corsairs, and the English who crisscrossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of (primarily) Spanish gold, as well as the pirates of Borneo and China. Biographical sketches of several well-known pirates are included: Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Captain Avery, Captain Kidd, and Paul Jones (who would later be best known as John Paul Jones, friend of Benjamin Franklin). In addition to these famous men, the story of one Aaron Smith unfolds as he, an innocent English seaman embarking on a merchant ship in 1821, is taken by pirates and abused by them. Smith turns to piratical actions to save his life, eventually makes his escape, and is charged with piracy by the High Court of Admiralty when he makes landfall in England in 1823; he was acquitted. A broad history of pirates and piracy that is informative and engaging.