The Real Pirates of the Caribbean

Woodard, Colin. The Real Pirates of the Caribbean. 2011. 24p. ISBN 2940012921963. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

You know all the names that entered into legend: Black Beard; Calico Jack Rackham; Mary Read and Anne Bonny; Charles Vanes. But what led them to enter piracy? This short book discusses the reasons why many were willing to seek a life under the black flag instead of legitimate work, from the War of Succession taking place in Great Britain to a global recession that led to a collapse of sailor wages, from a parity of armaments between royal navies and merchant ships to the interests of American colonies to acquire plundered goods for cheap.

This short book describes the British Royal Navy’s inability to combat the rise of piracy in the early 1710s, and it being outclassed by pirates at the height of the black flag in 1715-6. Finally, the Navy was able to restore order, but less because it actively did so than because economic conditions improved enough to remove the threat of piracy.

An impressive amount of information, this book will delight those who love to read about pirates and historical events.