Everyone knows about pirates: or do they? The Hollywood stereotype ? black flags and peg-legs, cutlasses and cannons, exotic yet sinister pets, buried treasure ? is familiar and entrancing, but there is so much more to be told. This new book takes the reader on an international voyage of discovery, investigating who these pirates were, describing their exploits and everyday lives, examining the origins of the many myths about them, and explaining their incredible, but often unrecognised, impact on history. Socially, economically, and politically, pirates and piracy moulded European empires as they rose to global power in the 17th and 18th centuries. Their actions, and ideas about them, shaped our modern world and left troubling legacies. You will never see pirates in the same way again. AUTHOR: Richard Blakemore has studied pirates for over a decade, from his Cambridge Ph.D to his role as Associate Professor in Social and Maritime History at the University of Reading, where he teaches the most popular module, 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Empire, Slavery, and Society, 1550-1750'. He has been a consultant for the National Maritime Museum; appeared on local and national BBC radio; on Channel 5's Great British Ships; produced two series of podcasts; and written for blogs and magazines such as History Today. 16 colour, 20 b/w illustrations