Daily Life of Pirates

Drawing on new research, this fascinating volume looks behind the myths to offer detailed insights into the real lives and activities of pirates-for better or worse-during the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean, from the mid-17th century to 1720.

Over the past decade, research in Spanish, French, and Dutch archives, as well as in traditional English repositories, has resulted in a clearer picture of the activities and lives of the pirates who roamed the seas during the Golden Age of Piracy from 1650 to 1720. That is the picture shared in Daily Life of Pirates. The book describes how pirates actually lived, touching on their food and drink, their hideouts, and their humor. It also examines their ships, weapons and seamanship, their plunder-and their use of torture.

The book’s detailed coverage is made possible by newly uncovered interrogations of pirates and by official depositions given by their victims, both of which provide insights that go well beyond simple recountings of famous exploits. The result is a tantalizing, true picture of pirates’ daily lives that reveals many surprising facts, such as the reality that most of their time was spent upon land as actual piracy was a seasonal occupation.

A collection of ten original documents related to piracy, including contemporary letters, newspaper accounts, and the Crown Act specifying court practices in pirate trials

A lengthy Chronology of Major European Wars and Pirate Strikes, 1650-1720, showing how wartime privateers often drifted into peacetime piracy before finding renewed honest employment when conflict erupted again

25 illustrations depicting the daily life of pirates

A glossary covering the many colorful terms associated with pirates, such as black dog, Devil’s Torrent, and Tongue of the Ocean