Highly illustrated with colour images and specially commissioned maps throughout, this is a unique exploration of the pirate world.Often romanticised in print and on the silver screen, real-life pirates were a brutal menace that plagued the high seas. In this book, Angus Konstam separates myth from reality, tracing the history of piracy through the centuries, from the pirates who plagued the Ancient Egyptians to the Viking raids and on to the era of privateers. He discusses the so-called 'Golden Age of Piracy' and colourful characters such as Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, before examining the West's initial encounters with Eastern pirates off the Chinese coast and the phenomenon of the modern pirate.CONTENTSIntroduction1.Pirates of the Ancient World2. Medieval Pirates3.The Sea Dogs of the Renaissance4. Mediterranean Corsairs5. The Buccaneers6. The Golden Age of Piracy7. The Pirate Round8. The Last of the Pirates9. The Chinese Pirates10. Modern Piracy11. Pirates in FictionConclusionNotesSelect BibliographyIndex