Pirates have terrorized the seas and coastal villages throughout much of history. A menace to navigation in the times of ancient Greece and Rome, they sailed from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark in the early Middle Ages, and in later centuries pillaged and plundered the Mediterranean and the South Atlantic with cannon, cutlass, and pistol. This riveting chronicle provides a fascinating glimpse of piracy, tracing the careers of buccaneers of many nationalities across two centuries and around the globe -- from the West Indies to the Indian Ocean and the South Seas. Here are true adventures of such notorious brigands as Captain Kidd and Edward (Blackbeard) Teach, and such lesser-known marauders as John Quelch, Christopher Scudamore, and Erasmus Peterson. Many of these pirates acquired a lingering taste for privateering during wartime, and when peace was established were unwilling to abandon their pursuits lightly. Their stories unfold against the exotic backgrounds of Jamaica, Mauritius, Madagascar, and other isles, but often end in such grim locales as London's Execution Dock, the Battery in Charleston, and along the Charles River in Boston. Sure to be treasured by historians and maritime enthusiasts, these vivid and dramatic tales will be welcomed as well by lovers of swashbuckling adventure.