If a Pirate I Must be...

Bartholomew Roberts was the greatest of Caribbean pirates, seizing 400 ships in a career that lasted little more than 2-1/2 years. Yet today, he is virtually forgotten. Originally a tea-sipping, disciplined third mate, when captured by pirates for recruitment, he begged to be released. But, he was fearless, and a born leader. With the words, I have dipped my hands in muddy water. And, if a pirate I must be, t'is better being a commander than a common man. , he became the most successful, most exciting and dynamic pirate there ever was. Through the telling of this remarkable story, Richard Sanders explodes the myth of pirates as ruthless cut-throats, and explores the egalitarian and homo-erotic sub-culture of pirates including Roberts' own 'intimate' relationships. But more, he provides a pirates' tour of the strange and cruel world of the early 18th Century Atlantic. With searing research and swashbuckling anecdotes, Sanders has written a biography of one of the most intriguing men in history, but also a thorough portrait of the 18th Century Atlantic maritime economy. Here is the real story of the myths which spawned a million childhood fantasies.