Scourge of the Seas: Buccaneers, Pirates & Privateers

From School Library Journal Adult/High School—Although Jack Sparrow is not mentioned, teens interested in learning more about the real lives of the men and women who were maritime raiders should find this book most appealing. The introduction describes the differences among pirates (they attacked any ship, regardless of nationality), privateers (persons or vessels under contract to a government), and buccaneers (mainly English and French raiders of the Spanish Main). In the next three sections, Konstam carefully describes each group's culture and traditions: dress; hygiene (they were "clearly exceptionally smelly"); organization; weapons; and tactics in war, battles, and while fighting at sea. Short biographies of famous individuals follow. Some readers may be surprised to learn how important privateers were to the American Revolution. Since the Colonies had fewer than 50 warships, they depended on letters of marque to fight the British. Many well-reproduced prints, diagrams, charts, and maps help make the subject come alive and add to readers' understanding of this swashbuckling time in history.—