Villains of All Nations

Villains of All Nations is a peoples history of piracy--a history that emphasizes how common seamen who turned pirate built for themselves a multicultural democratic and egalitarian society. This vivid social history of Atlantic piracy focuses on its colorful Golden Age from 1716 to 1726 the age of the dreaded black flag the Jolly Roger as well as swashbuckling figures such as Edward Teach better known of course as Blackbeard. These outcasts of all nations imagined--and succeeded in forging--a better world than they had found on the merchant and naval ships on which they had previously worked: they democratically elected their officers divided their booty in egalitarian way and fought against the common vicious abuse of sailors. The historical truth about what pirates actually did proves more compelling than the romantic fiction that has grown up around them.