An entertaining and informative look at piracy throughout the centuries, this edition examines the real-life experiences of pirates and pirate hunters. Tales focus on piracy committed in the Caribbean, the Barbary Coast, and Asia, with a chapter devoted to modern piracy in areas like Somalia and the Strait of Malacca. Author Diane Yancey examines how the lives of pirates and their often brutal behavior contrast with romantic portrayals of maritime outlaws. Female pirates are also described, as well as the variety of superstitions that pirates had about women and how this affected their position within the pirate community.