A chronicle of buccaneering life recounts the origins and codes of piracy and follows the careers and crimes of famed sea rovers, including merchant captains turned outlaws, notorious privateers, and celebrated female pirates. It narrates voyages, raids, captures, trials, and executions, describes pirate havens and shipboard customs, and reproduces contemporary accounts, anecdotes, and popular ballads. The text also surveys sources used by the author and offers moral and social reflection on violence, law, and religion as they relate to the buccaneers’ world.