Pirates & Privateers: Marcus Rediker's Books

While piracy reached its zenith between 1650 and 1730, the greatest number of pirates to prey on the high seas did so for only ten years, from 1716 to 1726. Their favorite hunting grounds were the Caribbean and the Atlantic. About the same time, people with wealth, power, and influence took more forceful steps to eliminate mayhem and murder on the oceans. These two foes utilized terror in different ways to accomplish their goals. The struggle pitted pirates, such as Blackbeard and William Fly, against men like Governor Alexander Spotswood and the Reverend Cotton Mather.

Within the pages of this book, Marcus Rediker examines key aspects relating to this decade of piracy. What causes the upsurge in piracy? Who goes “a Pyrating” and why? How do pirates govern themselves and how does their rebellion against the established social order affect those who tow the line? What do governments do to stamp out piracy? Why and how do pirates defy their impending deaths?

Villains of All Nations is a worthwhile study of the most prolific years of piracy and the men who become pirates and those who wish to destroy them. What unfolds is a well-researched and absorbing tale that puts pirates in historical context without inserting the myths about them. Rediker illustrates his points and shows this “turbulent world turned upside down” with the words of pirates or those who encounter them, as well as those who hunt and judge them. Highly recommended for any pirate aficionado who wants to learn the true story about the pirates of this age.

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