International Book Award Finalist
Pirates have long captured our imaginations with images of cutlass-wielding swashbucklers, eye patches, and buried treasure. But what was life really like on a pirate ship? Piracy was a risky, sometimes deadly occupation, and strict orders were essential for everyone’s survival. These “Laws” were sets of rules that determined everything from how much each pirate earned from their plunder to compensation for injuries, punishments, and even the entertainment allowed on ships. These rules became known as the “Pirates’ Code,” which all pirates had to publicly swear by.
This first full-length biography about Anne Bonny and Mary Read explores their intriguing backgrounds while examining the social context of women in their lifetime and their legacy in popular culture that exists to the present day. Using A General History of the Pyrates, early modern legal documents relating to women, their recorded public trial in The Tryal of Jack Rackham and Other Pyrates, newspapers and new, uncovered research, this book unravels the mysteries and legends surrounding their lives.
This is the story of how pirates became popularly viewed as “Robin Hoods of the Sea”—and how these historical events were pivotal in creating the portrayal of pirates as we know them today.
In this book, historian Rebecca Simon dives into the details of the two-year manhunt for Captain Kidd and the events that ensued.
Only someone who has lived in the shadows chasing faded pirates for an age, and is blessed with creativity, can pull off a book of this high caliber.
I am a historian of early modern piracy, Colonial America, the Atlantic World, and maritime history. I earned my PhD from King’s College London in 2017.
My first book, Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever (Mango Press, 2020), discusses transformation of real pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy from their authentic history into pop culture phenomenons today.
I am available to consult for you or to give talks to your organization and/or school (all levels). I have consulted for museums, businesses, novels, and television documentaries such as the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, UK, LEGO and programs on the BBC, the History Channel, and Netflix. I have also been an invited speaker for organizations such as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in the United Kingdom, Digital Museum, and various schools for education outreach. Please contact me for more information.
The Curse of Oak Island and Beyond Oak Island
The Lost Pirate Kingdom
Britain’s Outlaws: Highwaymen, Pirates, and Rogues